Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
You use ~ when stating the reason for something.
He is called Mitch, ~ his name is Mitchell...
Because it is an area of outstanding natural beauty, you can’t build on it...
‘Why didn’t you tell me, Archie?’—‘Because you might have casually mentioned it to somebody else.’
CONJ
2.
You use ~ when stating the explanation for a statement you have just made.
Maybe they just didn’t want to ask too many questions, ~ they rented us a room without even asking to see our papers...
The President has played a shrewd diplomatic game ~ from the outset he called for direct talks with the United States...
CONJ
3.
If an event or situation occurs ~ of something, that thing is the reason or cause.
Many families break up ~ of a lack of money...
Because of the law in Ireland, we had to work out a way of getting her over to Britain.
PREP-PHRASE
4.
You use just ~ when you want to say that a particular situation should not necessarily make you come to a particular conclusion. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)
Just ~ something has always been done a certain way does not make it right.
PHRASE