result

The word result often refers to what happens (or what has happened) because of something else.

A close synonym for result is outcome.

Like result, outcome often implies that something has ended and reached its conclusion, such as a game or a research project. Another term for this is end result. A somewhat less common synonym is upshot.

In these contexts, the result is what has come out of it—the result of a game is the final score or, more specifically, who won; the result of research is the data that has been gathered from it.

The result of a cause is called an effect. All effects come after an action, but the word aftereffect can be used for delayed effects—those that come later, after the initial effects.

The result of a certain action is called a consequence. The word repercussion often refers to a negative consequence.

The word aftermath is usually reserved for the consequences of a major event—what happens after it.

As a result is one of those set phrases that’s often used in essays or other formal writing (though it’s also used in everyday conversation).

If you’re talking about people and their actions, you could use as a consequence. 

Rather than trying to replace result with another word, though, you can also reword the sentence altogether, such as by saying The result was… or using result in its verb sense, as in This resulted in…. 

Or you could reword the sentence using one of the many synonyms listed in the first section above.

Result is a very common word that can be used in a variety of ways, including as both a noun and a verb.

Here are some examples of result in a sentence:

• The result was clearly an upset—the favorites lost to a weaker and less experienced team.
• Using cold butter yields better results when making pastry.
• The scandal has resulted in the resignation of three top officials.