reason

play

noun rea·son \ ˈrē-zᵊn \

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 city appealed the verdict, citing Judge Robin Wilson’s decision to prohibit the women’s testimony and other reasons.

— dave collins, The Seattle Times, "Court overturns $190K verdict won by acquitted officer," 30 Aug. 2017
But the framers foreclosed that option, and their reasons were good ones.

— garrett epps, The Atlantic, "Trump Doesn't Have the Authority to Attack North Korea Without Congress," 30 Aug. 2017
Instead of rounded, arched, or angled eyebrows, people on Instagram are now using PVA glue, concealer, and eyeliner to fake a Dr. Seuss-esque brow because...reasons.

— sarah wu, Teen Vogue, "Squiggle Lips Makeup Takes on Instagram Squiggle Eyebrows," 30 Aug. 2017
Vinyl fans have reason to visit Dallas on Saturday.

— star-telegram, "The weekend’s top 10 things to do includes Brave Combo, barbecue and the blues," 30 Aug. 2017
Run defenses simply don’t work if backs can scoot around the end, and Miami’s failure to stop that was a big reason the Dolphins allowed 2,247 rushing yards in 2016, third-most in the league.

— adam h. beasley, miamiherald, "On league’s richest d-line, don’t forget Branch — the ‘spark plug’ of the Miami Dolphins," 30 Aug. 2017
The reasons are geostrategic, but also quite practical.

— stephan haggard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "What is North Korea's goal with missile tests? Perhaps not what you think," 29 Aug. 2017
One of the easiest ways celebrity children level up, fame-wise, is by dating someone who is already famous for other reasons.

— allie jones, The Cut, "The Celebrity Children Who Dominate Our World Now," 29 Aug. 2017
Steroids, which are potent anti-inflammatory drugs, also didn’t prevent heart attacks or strokes in people taking them for other reasons, several studies showed.

— jennifer couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, "Anti-inflammatory cuts risk of heart attack," 27 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

reason Synonyms

Synonyms

account, accounting, argument, case, explanation, rationale

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

Ideological conservatives have limited appeal if their style is marked by civility and reasoned discourse.

— david l. bahnsen, National Review, "A Profound Tension Point for Conservatives," 21 Aug. 2017
If China participated in World War I, its leaders reasoned, maybe the country could win back this mainland territory.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The Surprisingly Important Role China Played in WWI," 17 Aug. 2017
The minimum registration fee was $25, and more than 4,500 ran the race that year, so the church reasoned that Hermes took in at least $113,000, not including sponsorships.

— adam ferrise, cleveland.com, "Woman hit by stray bullet as men fend off Cleveland home invasion," 16 Aug. 2017
Throughout his time in office, Obama labored against the contrast of hazy memories of presidents of yore who could supposedly reason with or overpower their foes and impose their legislative will.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Obama’s Legacy Is Finally Coming Into Focus, Thanks to Trump," 1 Aug. 2017
Scott reasoned with herself about the neighborhood.

— NOLA.com, "Confederate symbols, street names draw scrutiny in Texas," 31 July 2017
Once in a great while, one is polite and well-reasoned.

— chris white, The Courier-Journal, "This voicemail from an angry sports fan is a masterpiece of modern art," 21 July 2017
Your studious ways won’t save you if the person won’t allow themselves to be reasoned with, and this could cost you financially in a huge way.

— jodie layne, Allure, "What This Week's Horoscope Means for You," 2 July 2017
That 90-day period was about to expire, with some challengers of the ban using the lapsing timetable to reason that the executive order was now moot.

— ali vitali, NBC News, "White House Seeks to Extend Lifeline to Travel Ban In Legal Limbo," 14 June 2017

First Known Use of reason

15th century

reason Synonyms

Synonyms

conclude, decide, deduce, derive, extrapolate, gather, judge, make out, infer, understand

Related Words

assume, suppose; conjecture, guess, speculate, surmise; construe, interpret, read; contemplate, philosophize, rationalize, think; ascertain, dope (out), find out

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

play

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

play

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

Learn More about reason

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up reason? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

reason

Definition of reason

Explore M-W

Examples of reason in a Sentence

Recent Examples of reason from the Web

Origin and Etymology of reason

reason Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

reason

Definition of reason

reasoner

Examples of reason in a Sentence

Recent Examples of reason from the Web

First Known Use of reason

reason Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of reason

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

legal Definition of reason

Learn More about reason

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066