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rhyme or reason

noun
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Definition of rhyme or reason

: good sense or reason

Examples of rhyme or reason in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the accidents, no pattern to uncover. — Paul L. Underwood, New York Times, "When Potty Training Reveals a Pooping Problem," 17 Apr. 2020 There was no rhyme or reason for it except to do an art thing. — al, "Is Shelby Lynne wearing a mask on her new album cover?," 20 Apr. 2020 There is little rhyme or reason why a certain fringed bob takes over the text chain or a vintage pixie cut sparks a social media frenzy. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, "This Shoulder-Length Hairstyle Is Poised To Be the Most Popular Cut of the Summer," 17 Apr. 2020 In Montreal as in New York City, there seems to be little rhyme or reason about which areas get hit hardest by the speculation machine. — Tracey Lindeman, Fortune, "Montreal’s empty storefront problem is a lesson to every city," 5 Mar. 2020 Advisers said there is little rhyme or reason to how Mr. Trump chooses clemency recipients. — Michael Rothfeld, New York Times, "The 11 Criminals Granted Clemency by Trump Had One Thing in Common: Connections," 19 Feb. 2020 Still, certain safety behaviors are hard to get right, because the rules change all the time, seemingly with no rhyme or reason, from year to year or airline to airline. — Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Do Airlines Ask You to Raise Window Shades During Takeoff?," 10 Mar. 2020 Giving out nicknames Jones was a man of nicknames, often giving guys monikers without rhyme or reason. — Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Come on down and shake Superman's hand': Firefighters honor memory of fallen brother," 15 Feb. 2020 For most other infections, there’s little rhyme or reason to the timing. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "Why do dozens of diseases wax and wane with the seasons—and will COVID-19?," 13 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rhyme or reason.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of rhyme or reason

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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The first known use of rhyme or reason was in the 15th century

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Last Updated

8 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Rhyme or reason.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhyme%20or%20reason. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with rhyme or reason

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