reason

noun

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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

in reason

: rightly, justifiably

within reason

: within reasonable limits

with reason

: with good cause

reason

verb

reasoned; reasoning\ ˈrēz-niŋ

, ˈrē-zᵊn-iŋ \

Definition of reason (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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

3 archaic : to justify or support with reasons

Other Words from reason Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about reason

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Choose the Right Synonym for reason

Verb

think, cogitate, reflect, reason, speculate, deliberate mean to use one's powers of conception, judgment, or inference. think is general and may apply to any mental activity, but used alone often suggests attainment of clear ideas or conclusions. teaches students how to think cogitate implies deep or intent thinking. cogitated on the mysteries of nature reflect suggests unhurried consideration of something recalled to the mind. reflecting on fifty years of married life reason stresses consecutive logical thinking. able to reason brilliantly in debate speculate implies reasoning about things theoretical or problematic. speculated on the fate of the lost explorers deliberate suggests slow or careful reasoning before forming an opinion or reaching a conclusion or decision. the jury deliberated for five hours

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The reason horror movies are bearable is the belief that on some level, conscious or not, the outcome can be controlled. — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2021 But for a handful of Americans, there is another motivation for heading to a new home, and that reason is their dog. — Jennifer Aldrich, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2021 The reason is an abysmal, abject failure of leadership. — WSJ, 4 June 2021 The reason is that COVID-19 cases are going down across the nation and people are returning to their offices - as well as their previous patterns. — Steven Vargas, USA TODAY, 3 June 2021 The reason behind the variation is that Dominion Energy houses two nuclear generating plants on the southern, or private, side of the lake, warming the water several degrees more than on the public side, after using it to cool the plant’s turbines. — Washington Post, 3 June 2021 The reason this matters is that the entire industry is treating Netflix as the definitive model to be emulated. — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 3 June 2021 The reason is 862 pages long and has been around, in one form or another, for 85 years: the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices. — Aarian Marshall, Wired, 1 June 2021 But college sports are different, and the reason is there’s this huge collective-action problem. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 1 June 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Shakey the robot is the first general-purpose mobile robot to be able to reason about its own actions. — Gil Press, Forbes, 19 May 2021 That's because God gave us a brain to think and reason with. — Holly Yan, CNN, 28 Apr. 2021 Whenever Muyej tried to reason with creuseurs who had sneaked onto industrial concessions, he was attacked with stones, and in 2019 there was so much unrest in Kolwezi that the military was sent in. — Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 Newsom said the city didn't even get a chance to try to reason with the neighborhoods because almost immediately after the committee would tour a potential location, the land would sell. — Jessica Boehm, The Arizona Republic, 18 May 2021 The bar manager, then the security guard, tried unsuccessfully to reason with the man. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 23 Apr. 2021 Trying to reason with your daughter is a waste of time. — Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 16 Apr. 2021 Videos emerged of Pakistani army officers trying to reason with the violent protesters. — New York Times, 15 Apr. 2021 Without the tools to reason about mistakes a model is making in the wild, teams are investing a massive amount of money in the data science laboratory but essentially flying blind in the real world. — Aparna Dhinakaran, Forbes, 5 Apr. 2021

These 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

6 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Reason.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reason. Accessed 12 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for reason

reason

noun

English 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

verb

English 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

noun

rea·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

verb

reasoned; 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

noun

rea·son