reason

noun rea·son \ ˈrē-zᵊn \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of reason

1 a : 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 : 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

d : the thing that makes some fact intelligible : cause

the reason for earthquakes

the real reason why he wanted me to stay
—Graham Greene

2 a (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

See reason defined for English-language learners

See reason defined for kids

Examples of reason in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of reason from the Web

Throughout the play, Bavoso does a remarkable job of showing us reasons why Kristopher might have carried out his heinous act — without excusing him.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Blight' shows how violence is created, and how darkness takes hold," 15 Apr. 2018
But there were less calculated reasons for Bill and his kind to join fellow Americans in the war effort, too.

— patrick l. kennedy, Smithsonian, "When “Bricklayer Bill” Won the 1917 Boston Marathon, It Was a Victory For All Irish Americans," 14 Apr. 2018
Less defensible reasons are mere inertia or, even worse, the belief on the part of a few judges that cumbersome formal language is needed to give jurors a sense of the majesty of the law.

— The Economist, "Too often juries comprise 12 confused men (and women)," 14 Apr. 2018
Durante cited personal reasons for leaving, mostly due to differences with the coaching staff.

— shandel richardson, Sun-Sentinel.com, "FAU receiver Jovon Durante ready to have impact after sitting out last season," 14 Apr. 2018
Below, bartenders and beverage professionals share a few more reasons to get into shrubs this spring and summer.

— christina pérez, Vogue, "Why You’ll Find Vinegar in Your Cocktails This Spring," 14 Apr. 2018
All of this somehow lead to Danius' ousting, the ultimate reasons behind which are still unclear (though, as the Times notes, two former academy leaders—again, both men—called her leadership weak).

— erin reimel, Glamour, "This Is the Important Reason Women in Sweden Are Wearing Pussybow Blouses," 14 Apr. 2018
Which also leads to one of the other unique things about Nier: Automata, and another possible reason for its widespread success.

— julie muncy, WIRED, "Behind the Mask With Yoko Taro, Videogames' Most Interesting Designer," 13 Apr. 2018
For some reason Amazon lists the original price as $79.99, but MSRP on the PowerWave pad is $45.99.

— emily heller, The Verge, "Anker’s new wireless iPhone charger is 25 percent off for Verge readers," 12 Apr. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of reason

Middle English resoun, from Anglo-French raisun, from Latin ration-, ratio reason, computation, from reri to calculate, think; probably akin to Goth rathjo account, explanation

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

reason Synonyms

reason

verb

Definition of reason

reasoned; reasoning play \ˈrēz-niŋ, ˈrē-zᵊn-iŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a obsolete : to take part in conversation, discussion, or argument

b : to talk with another so as to influence actions or opinions

can't reason with them

2 : to use the faculty of reason so as to arrive at conclusions

transitive verb

1 archaic : to justify or support with reasons

2 : to persuade or influence by the use of reason

3 : to discover, formulate, or conclude by the use of reason

a carefully reasoned analysis

—

reasoner

play \ˈrēz-nər, ˈrē-zᵊn-ər\ noun

See reason defined for English-language learners

Examples of reason in a Sentence

He lost the ability to reason.
He reasoned that both statements couldn't be true.
She reasoned that something must be wrong.

Recent Examples of reason from the Web

Uccello, who only five months earlier had been sworn in as the first female mayor of a state capital, tried to reason with them.

— matthew ormseth, Courant Community, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination, 50 Years Later: A City Seethes, Mourns Loss As Its Own," 4 Apr. 2018
What guest, proprietors reasoned, would stay in a hotel that constantly reminded them of a potential catastrophe?

— pippa biddle, The Atlantic, "Fire Escapes Are Evocative, But Mostly Useless," 25 Feb. 2018
Tidal waters — the interconnected matrix of coastal bays and the bayous and backwater lakes — are public waters, my Texas mind reasoned.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Louisiana wrestles with fishing-access issues," 1 Apr. 2018
Whatever happened to caveat emptor, common sense and the ability to reason?

— WSJ, "Facebook and Its Fake News Comeuppance," 1 Apr. 2018
Although there's something strangely reassuring about the fact that such a horrible news story could not only produce trolling attempts online but also reasoned responses to those attempts.

— graeme mcmillan, WIRED, "While You Were Offline: Hey Facebook, Analyze This," 25 Mar. 2018
The debate was spirited, not only because Doritos are a very dear and precious topic to high schoolers, but because, with only two options from which to choose, our arguments had to be solid and reasoned.

— dayna evans, GQ, "There Are Too Many Flavors and It Has Turned the Snack Industry Into a Vicious Hellscape," 22 Mar. 2018
At the time, Instagram reasoned that users were missing, on average, 70% of their feeds.

— madeline buxton, refinery29.com, "Finally, Good News For Everyone Who Misses Instagram's Chronological Feed," 22 Mar. 2018
First, there is a clear difference between reflexive, predictable, anti-Trump hysteria and offering reasoned critiques of the Trump administration and its policies.

— heather wilhelm, National Review, "Goodbye, Boring Candidates — Hello, Boring Hysteria," 11 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of reason

15th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

reason Synonyms

Synonyms

argue, assert, contend, maintain, plead;

Related Words

adduce, cite, mention;

claim, insist;

affirm, aver, avouch, avow;

advance, give, offer, propose, submit;

advise, counsel, recommend, suggest, urge;

convince, persuade;

advocate, champion, defend, enforce, espouse, support;

explain, justify, rationalize;

consider, debate, discuss;

confute, counter, disprove, rebut, refute;

Synonym Discussion of reason

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

REASON Defined for English Language Learners

reason

noun

Definition of reason for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of reason for English Language Learners

: to think in a logical way
: to form (a conclusion or judgment) by thinking logically

REASON Defined for Kids

reason

noun rea·son \ ˈrē-zᵊn \

Definition of reason for Students

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 : ¹cause 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

Definition of reason for Students

reasoned; reasoning

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?

Law Dictionary

reason

noun rea·son

legal Definition of reason

1 : an underlying ground, justification, purpose, motive, or inducement

required to provide reasons for the termination in writing

2 a : 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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See words that rhyme with reason Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reason Spanish Central: Translation of reason Nglish: Translation of reason for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reason for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reason

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reason

Definition of reason

reasoner

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REASON Defined for English Language Learners

reason

Definition of reason for English Language Learners

reason

Definition of reason for English Language Learners

REASON Defined for Kids

reason

Definition of reason for Students

reason

Definition of reason for Students

Law Dictionary

reason

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