reason

noun rea·son \ ˈrē-zᵊn \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

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Examples: reason in a Sentence

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

The reasons for the constraints on Kushner's intelligence access are unclear, including whether they are related to the ongoing special counsel investigation, which has examined his interactions with foreign officials.

— carol d. leonnig, Anchorage Daily News, "Limits still remain on security clearance for Trump son-in-law Kushner," 13 July 2018
First, the overt reason for the meal is to celebrate the Jewish Passover.

— robert e. gordon, WSJ, "A Multi-Layered Drama," 13 July 2018
The reason for the lower numbers, of course, is travel baseball.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Disabato: As travel schedules continue to expand, high school baseball teams feeling the summer squeeze," 13 July 2018
The real reason Trump blames my friend @SadiqKhan for the terror attacks last year is simple.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Admitting He Feels ‘Unwelcome,’ Trump Finds New Ways to Offend the British," 13 July 2018
The biggest reason to support the fuel-efficiency standards, however, is the link between vehicle exhaust and human health.

— rob jackson, Scientific American, "Relaxing Vehicle-Efficiency Standards Is a Truly Dangerous Idea," 12 July 2018
The second reason going green is so difficult is the cost.

— justin worland/pueblo, Time, "How One Industrial City Is Fighting to Go Green," 12 July 2018
The real reason to go, though, is for the perfect beach food: Roberts Chicken Salad.

— kathleen purvis, charlotteobserver, "The best thing to eat at Wrightsville Beach (and the best food to bring back with you)," 12 July 2018
Of course, the reason for not covering it up could be due to time.

— tamara fuentes, Seventeen, "Justin Bieber Still Has His Selena Gomez Tattoo Even After Getting Engaged and It's AWKWARD," 11 July 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

Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die, Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred Why would a father ask his ever-expanding brood of what became 11 children to memorize a poem about war and slaughter?

— kerry kennedy, Time, "Kerry Kennedy: What My Father, RFK, Means Today," 31 May 2018
If that was done, Kelly reasoned, there would be no argument about equal protection — that is, the constitutional guarantee that all people be treated the same.

— cary spivak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin Supreme Court takes up challenge to legality of state's caps on medical malpractice payments," 19 Apr. 2018
Many in China still cling to the hope that he can be reasoned with.

— The Economist, "As its trade tussle with America heats up, China is on the back foot," 5 July 2018
Limbo, some medieval theologians reasoned, must have been where Jesus went in the three days between his death and resurrection to free the virtuous souls who had perished before him but not had the opportunity to be redeemed by his sacrifice.

— john hooper, WSJ, "How a $30 Million Renaissance Masterpiece Was Found," 21 May 2018
At a time when the country seems to have forgotten how to have reasoned argument, these participants are displaying skills their coaches say are even better than adult politicians’.

— christa case bryant, The Christian Science Monitor, "Need help winning an argument? Ask a Kansas high-schooler.," 11 Apr. 2018
The Supreme Court reasoned that service advisors engage in selling services.

— april boyer and yamilet hurtado, miamiherald, "Ruling on overtime exemption for dealership service advisors may have broader consequences," 10 June 2018
The final House Intelligence Committee report is consistent with that previous argument, saying that the US intelligence agencies’ conclusion wasn’t well-reasoned.

— zachary fryer-biggs, Vox, "Read: House Russia investigation final report," 27 Apr. 2018
Staff for the port, which oversees development on state tidelands, reasoned that the analysis would assist the agency’s board members in weighing the Fifth Avenue Landing development.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Port financial analysis favors convention center expansion over competing hotel project," 8 June 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

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reason

Definition of reason

reasoner

Examples of reason in a Sentence

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reason Synonyms

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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

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reason

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reason

Definition of reason for Students

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reason

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