Definition of precipitating | Bee Dictionary of English

v bring about abruptly
v separate as a fine suspension of solid particles
v fall from clouds
v fall vertically, sharply, or headlong
v hurl or throw violently
s bringing on suddenly or abruptly
the completion of the railroad was the precipitating cause in the extinction of waterborne commerce

Global warming has been reversed, with the unfortunate consequence of precipitating a "war on glaciers" as they march forth across the Canadian border.
But then the coalition began to round up more and more legitimate Sadr lieutenants, perhaps precipitating some of last week's confrontation in Baghdad.
But he said he didn't buy that it was a major precipitating cause of the crisis.

Facebook Ruining Your Marriage, New Study Reveals (Again)
Facebook ruining your marriage is not necessarily news, in as much as a few times each year we read frightening new statistics about Facebook precipitating as many as one in five divorces. (This statistic about Facebook divorce began to pop up as early as 2009._ However, whether Facebook is ruining marriages or the marriages were [...] Facebook Ruining Your Marriage, New Study Reveals (Again) is ...
June 10, 2013 - The Inquisitr

Gary Bettman in Charlottetown, The Guardian
Michael Peca crossed the line by making physical contact with referee Kimmerly,Bettman said in a release. "His conduct - regardless of the type or nature of precipitating events - was inexcusable and showed a lack of respect for our on-ice...
AblassÃ© Ouedraogo in AFP
Ouedraogo added: "It remains to be seen if, in precipitating events, we will discover a durable stability on Madagascar. That will (only) be possible if all the protagonists in Madagascar's political crisis understand the need to make concessions."
Martin Luther King in New York Times
Mrs. Parks's arrest was the precipitating factor rather than the cause of the protest,Dr. King wrote in his 1958 book, "Stride Toward Freedom. The cause lay deep in the record of similar injustices."