reason

noun

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 : 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

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

1a 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

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

For that reason, prosecutors asked that Grundy and his co-defendants wear leg shackles during the trial and not be told names or other identifying information about jurors. — Tim Evans, Indianapolis Star, "Richard Grundy's federal drug trial starts Monday. Here's what you need to know.," 7 July 2019 Holman agreed to take a polygraph to back up his story, but for some reason it was never administered. — CBS News, "Unsolved murder case is the talk of small Texas town 17 years later," 6 July 2019 And the mere act of searching for a reason appeared to legal experts as an attempt to manufacture an excuse. — Michael Wines, New York Times, "Trump Considering an Executive Order to Allow Citizenship Question on Census," 5 July 2019 With more than 16,000 rave reviews on Amazon, this is definitely one of the most beloved cult beauty products on Amazon for a good reason. — Shayna Murphy, USA TODAY, "The 5 best Amazon Prime Day deals you can get this Friday," 5 July 2019 For this reason, the fireworks were halted to make sure attendees were safe, Kasnoff said. — Claire Rafford, azcentral, "Marana brush fire caused by town's “Star Spangled Spectacular” fireworks display," 5 July 2019 But, at the same time, the United States sends the work to the Philippines for a reason. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "The Underworld of Online Content Moderation," 5 July 2019 In more encouraging news, the developers of Cuphead just announced a delay to that game's downloadable content, Delicious Last Course, for a very good reason. — Julie Muncy, WIRED, "Cuphead Update Is Being Delayed for a Very Good Reason," 5 July 2019 Yet her job is known as a graveyard of careers for good reason—the problems long predate her tenure—and Mrs von der Leyen has done well to survive in it. — The Economist, "EU leaders’ arduous deal on top jobs may yet fall apart," 4 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

His son's unit might have wanted to toughen his son up, Paul Clyde reasoned. — Jennifer Emily, Dallas News, "Family of Dallas courthouse shooter Brian Clyde believes he wanted to be killed," 19 June 2019 Authorities at the scene described the man as paranoid, believing people were there to hurt him, and negotiators were unable to reason with him. — Fox News, "Gunman killed after bizarre standoff at burning LA-area home," 7 June 2019 The Nature of Prejudice, Allport reasoned that bigotry often boils down to a lack of acquaintance. — K.n.c., The Economist, "How to increase empathy and unite society," 7 June 2019 Maybe, Farber reasoned, folic acid actually stimulated the bone marrow to make blasts. — Marie Mccullough, https://www.inquirer.com, "How conquering a rare leukemia in children revolutionized cancer care for millions," 6 June 2019 Emma may not have been a drug-corner slinger, but prosecutors reasoned that by fronting Jenny the money, making the buy and passing out the heroin, Emma was just as responsible for her death. — Aubrey Whelan, https://www.inquirer.com, "Two friends shared heroin in a KFC bathroom. One died, one went to prison. Their families are picking up the pieces.," 6 June 2019 Taking samples from sponges, and checking the DNA therein, might thus, Dr Mariani reasoned, be an effective way to assess the diversity of species in the region surrounding a particular sponge. — The Economist, "Using sponges to census the ocean," 5 June 2019 Instead of the mere ability to correlate fever and malaria, machines need the capacity to reason that malaria causes fever. — Kevin Hartnett, The Atlantic, "How a Pioneer of Machine Learning Became One of Its Sharpest Critics," 19 May 2018 Private financing, the officials reasoned, would remove any voter doubts about being stuck with the tab. — Bill Turque And Steve Vockrodt, kansascity, "KC Council votes to stick with KCI developer Edgemoor — for now | The Kansas City Star," 8 Feb. 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.

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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?