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rea·son | \ ˈrē-zᵊn 
\
\Definition of reason
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : a statement offered in explanation or justification
gave reasons that were quite satisfactory
b : a rational ground or motive
a good reason to act soon
c : the thing that makes some fact intelligible : cause the reason for earthquakes the real reason why he wanted me to stay— Graham Greene
d : a sufficient ground of explanation or of logical defense especially : something (such as a principle or law) that supports a conclusion or explains a fact the reasons behind her client's action
2a(1) : the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly rational ways : intelligence
(2) : proper exercise of the mind
(3) : sanity
b : the sum of the intellectual powers
3 archaic : treatment that affords satisfaction
reason
verbreasoned; reasoning\ ˈrēz-niŋ , ˈrē-zᵊn-iŋ \
, ˈrē-zᵊn-iŋ \Definition of reason (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to use the faculty of reason so as to arrive at conclusions
2a : to talk with another so as to influence actions or opinions
can't reason with them
b obsolete : to take part in conversation, discussion, or argument
1 : to discover, formulate, or conclude by the use of reason
a carefully reasoned analysis
2 : to persuade or influence by the use of reason
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Other Words from reason
Verb
reasoner \ ˈrēz-nər , ˈrē-zᵊn-ər \ noun
, ˈrē-zᵊn-ər \ nounSynonyms for reason
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
- conclude,
- decide,
- deduce,
- derive,
- extrapolate,
- gather,
- infer,
- judge,
- make out,
- understand
Examples of reason in a Sentence
Noun
I gave a reason for my absence.
Is there a reason for your strange behavior?
There is a reason why they don't want to come.
I can't give you the report for the simple reason that it isn't yet finished.
She explained her reasons for deciding to change jobs.
He wanted to know the reason for their decision.
Give me one good reason why I should believe you.
For obvious reasons, we can't do that yet.
For reasons of space, some of the charts and graphs have been omitted from the article.
She resigned for personal reasons. Verb
He lost the ability to reason.
He reasoned that both statements couldn't be true.
She reasoned that something must be wrong.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun There’s nothing to suggest that anything nefarious is going on, so there’s no reason you should be concerned about downloading and giving it a try.
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Ken Colburn, azcentral, "The Brave web browser is taking on Google Chrome: Is it safe?," 17 Feb. 2020 There is modest evidence of cost savings with privatized prisons, a principal reason that governments rely on them.
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Barry Latzer, National Review, "Democrats Prefer ‘Reforming’ the Criminal-Justice System to Punishing Criminals," 17 Feb. 2020 Instead, medical personnel continue to use a paper questionnaire that relies on answers from patients — patients who may have reasons to hide or exaggerate symptoms, or who may be too shaken to answer questions accurately.
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Dave Philipps And, BostonGlobe.com, "Brain injuries are common in battle. The military has no reliable test for them.," 16 Feb. 2020 Changing over to daylight saving time — a major annoyance for many people — may be on its way out as lawmakers cite public health as a prime reason to ditch the twice-yearly clock-resetting ritual.
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NBC News, "Changing clocks is bad for your health, but which time to choose?," 16 Feb. 2020 For this reason real estate has long been a fragmented, local market.
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The Economist, "Tearing down the house Technology is poised to upend America’s property market," 15 Feb. 2020 Whatever the reason, the move is a smart one, according to experts.
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Erik Sherman, Fortune, "Tesla raises capital two weeks after Elon Musk said it wasn’t needed," 14 Feb. 2020 The goalie is senior Joey Cormier, the reason Trenton reached the previous two Division 2 state championship games.
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Mick Mccabe, Detroit Free Press, "Trenton's Joey Cormier is small, but he's the biggest reason for this hockey renaissance," 14 Feb. 2020 For all those reasons and more, her travel bags are always carefully packed.
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Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, "How I Travel: Designer Clare Vivier Doesn't Go Anywhere Without Her Fanny Pack," 14 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Harbaugh, it was reasoned, just didn't want to criticize an underperforming unit after a home win over a top-15 team.
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Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football playing best football as behemoth Ohio State awaits," 26 Nov. 2019 Zaid knows that the people who push conspiracy theories usually can't be reasoned with or are either bad faith actors with no regard for the truth.
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Oliver Darcy, CNN, "'A little disinformation goes a long way': Inside the whistleblower lawyer's fight against attempts to smear him and his client," 18 Oct. 2019 Our time is running out, but that only makes your slow, methodical reasoning more exciting.
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Sarah Todd, Quartzy, "Guess the world’s best city for vegan-friendly dining! No, try again," 17 Oct. 2019 State lawmakers reasoned that if conventional vehicle owners were forced to pay more at the pump, the fees would make sure electric and hybrid vehicle owners paid more, too.
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Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, "Ohio’s new $100 fee for hybrids and $200 fee for electric vehicles go into effect next week," 27 Dec. 2019 Try to reason with someone who is irrational, as becoming angry will only make matters worse.
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Magi Helena, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Dec. 14, 2019: Pisces, don’t let little things bug you; Virgo, put free time to good use," 14 Dec. 2019 Paul Volcker’s death last week marks the passing of an era, one of bipartisan sanity and reasoned restraint in the making of public policy.
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Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: Paul Volcker — the right man for his times," 15 Dec. 2019 His exact meaning is difficult to ascertain, as is Philip’s reasoning for supporting Attalus’s very public insult of his current heir.
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National Geographic, "Alexander the Great's warrior mom wielded unprecedented power," 3 Dec. 2019 The call, Bolles reasoned, would not have shown up on his phone bill.
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AZCentral.com, "The story that haunted Don Bolles isn't the story most people think they know," 3 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reason.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
20 Feb 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Reason.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reason. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
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More Definitions for reason
reason
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of reason
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a statement or fact that explains why something is the way it is, why someone does, thinks, or says something, or why someone behaves a certain way
: a fact, condition, or situation that makes it proper or appropriate to do something, feel something, etc.
: the power of the mind to think and understand in a logical way
reason
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of reason (Entry 2 of 2)
: to think in a logical way
: to form (a conclusion or judgment) by thinking logically
See the full definition for reason in the English Language Learners Dictionary
reason
nounrea·son | \ ˈrē-zᵊn \
\Kids Definition of reason
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a statement given to explain a belief or an act
My parents gave a reason for my absence.
2 : a fact that makes something right or fair to do
I have reasons for what I did.
3 : cause entry 1 sense 1 The child wanted to know the reason for rain.
4 : the power to think and understand in a logical way
5 : a fair and sensible way of thinking about something
He won't listen to reason.
reason
verbreasoned; reasoning
Kids Definition of reason (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to think in a logical way
2 : to talk with another in a sensible way so as to influence his or her actions or opinions
“It's a fear you can't be … reasoned out of.”— Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie
3 : to state or ask logically
How, I reasoned, could such a thing happen?
reason
nounrea·son
Legal Definition of reason
1 : an underlying ground, justification, purpose, motive, or inducement
required to provide reasons for the termination in writing
2a : the faculty of comprehending, inferring, or distinguishing especially in a fair and orderly way
b : the proper and sane exercise of the mind
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Time Traveler for reason
The first known use of reason was in the 13th century
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