reason
Americannoun
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reasons
plural
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a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event, etc..
the reasons for declaring war.
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a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action.
I dare you to give me one good reason for quitting school!
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sufficient cause, as produced by a situation that makes an act, feeling, etc., obviously proper or appropriate.
After the mess he made of our yard, we have good reason to look for another landscaper.
- Synonyms:
- rationalization, excuse
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the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.
Effective leadership requires a person of reason.
- Synonyms:
- intelligence, mind, intellect, understanding
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sound judgment; good sense.
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normal or sound powers of mind; sanity.
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Logic. a premise of an argument.
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Philosophy.
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the faculty or power of acquiring intellectual knowledge, either by direct understanding of first principles or by argument.
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the power of intelligent and dispassionate thought, or of conduct influenced by such thought.
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Kantianism. the faculty by which the ideas of pure reason are created.
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verb (used without object)
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reasons,
present (3rd person singular)
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reasoned,
past participle, past
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reasoning
present participle
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to think or argue in a logical manner.
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to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises.
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to urge reasons which should determine belief or action.
- Synonyms:
- persuade
verb (used with object)
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reasons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reasoned,
past participle, past
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reasoning
present participle
-
to think through logically, as a problem (often followed byout ).
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to conclude or infer.
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to convince, persuade, etc., by reasoning.
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to support with reasons.
idioms
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bring (someone) to reason, to induce a change of opinion in (someone) through presentation of arguments; convince.
The mother tried to bring her rebellious daughter to reason.
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in / within reason, in accord with reason; justifiable; proper.
She tried to keep her demands in reason.
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by reason of, on account of; because of.
He was consulted about the problem by reason of his long experience.
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stand to reason, to be clear, obvious, or logical.
With such an upbringing it stands to reason that the child will be spoiled.
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with reason, with justification; properly.
The government is concerned about the latest crisis, and with reason.
noun
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the faculty of rational argument, deduction, judgment, etc
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sound mind; sanity
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a cause or motive, as for a belief, action, etc
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an argument in favour of or a justification for something
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philosophy the intellect regarded as a source of knowledge, as contrasted with experience
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logic grounds for a belief; a premise of an argument supporting that belief
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because of
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within moderate or justifiable bounds
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it is logical or obvious
it stands to reason that he will lose
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to be persuaded peaceably
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political justifications for an immoral act
verb
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(when tr, takes a clause as object) to think logically or draw (logical conclusions) from facts or premises
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to urge or seek to persuade by reasoning
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to work out or resolve (a problem) by reasoning
Usage
The construction reason is because is criticized in a number of usage guides: The reason for the long delays was because the costs greatly exceeded the original estimates. One objection to this construction is based on its redundancy: the word because (literally, by cause ) contains within it the meaning of reason; thus saying the reason is because is like saying “The cause is by cause,” which would never be said. A second objection is based on the claim that because can introduce only adverbial clauses and that reason is requires completion by a noun clause. Critics would substitute that for because in the offending construction: The reason for the long delays in completing the project was that the costs. … Although the objections described here are frequently raised, reason is because is still common in almost all levels of speech and occurs often in edited writing as well. A similar charge of redundancy is made against the reason why, which is also a well-established idiom: The reason why the bill failed to pass was the defection of three key senators.
The expression the reason is because… should be avoided. Instead one should say either this is because… or the reason is that…
Synonym Usage
Reason, cause, motive are terms for a circumstance (or circumstances) which brings about or explains certain results. A reason is an explanation of a situation or circumstance which made certain results seem possible or appropriate: The reason for the robbery was the victim's display of his money. The cause is the way in which the circumstances produce the effect, that is, make a specific action seem necessary or desirable: The cause was the robber's extreme need of money. A motive is the hope, desire, or other force which starts the action (or an action) in an attempt to produce specific results: The motive was to get money to buy food for his family.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reasonsimple
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reasonssimple
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have reasonedperfect
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has reasonedperfect
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am reasoningprogressive
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are reasoningprogressive
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is reasoningprogressive
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have been reasoningperfect progressive
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has been reasoningperfect progressive
Past
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reasonedsimple
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had reasonedperfect
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was reasoningprogressive
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were reasoningprogressive
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had been reasoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reason
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English resoun, reisun (noun), from Old French reisun, reson, from Latin ratiōn- (stem of ratiō ) ratio
Explanation
A reason explains why you do something. The reason you go to school is to learn things (and because it's the law). Reason usually has to do with thought and logic, as opposed to emotion. If people think you show good reason, or are reasonable, it means you think things through. If people think you have a good reason for doing something, it means you have a motive that makes sense. Reason can also be a verb. You might reason something out, which means that you look at all sides of the issue and then and decide what to do.
Vocabulary lists containing reason
Argumentative Writing
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Think Tank: Thought-Provoking Vocabulary
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Argumentative Writing, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“And there’s a reason for it because, let me tell you, what rockets desperately want to do every flight: They desperately want to blow themselves into tiny pieces.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Glen Webb said the Forest was 'a cheap version of the Cotswolds and people love it for that reason'
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
There is a reason Ellison spent billions acquiring a legendary news brand.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
“The reason that I’m not dead, honestly, is the car that we were driving,” she continued in her update, adding that 360-degree airbags in the “tiny Kia” she was riding in saved their lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Betsie had always known that, because of her health, she could not have children, and for that reason had decided long ago never to marry.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"Because it's a place for people, for picnics, for livestock to graze," he told AFP, giving only his first name for security reasons.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Serco said it could not comment on the number of asylum seekers or their locations in Thetford "for safety reasons".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
It aims for lower unemployment, but this month, unemployment fell for the wrong reasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The fairest answer is that he was partly right, for reasons he did not fully understand, and he exaggerated the promise.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
“You know, there are lots of reasons people can’t take care of their own kids,” Jonah said cautiously.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Thus, prosecutors reasoned that they could not prove Tilford created the recording and did so without the others’ knowledge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
"It is possible to say that more could have been done, but there was a serious risk of financial meltdown," Tombs reasoned.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
And she reasoned, very simply, that the way her children were being held was involuntary servitude and that under this new law, they should be freed.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The researchers reasoned that the same enzyme might produce other peptides that influence energy balance and appetite.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
So Ranofer reasoned, and could find no fault in the reasoning however much he wanted to, until one night when he was wakened again by the squeak of hinges.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Admittedly, that’s a lot more flexible interpretation than the obvious reasoning behind Damon’s selection.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
It launched a series of so-called reasoning models in the fall of 2024 that were able to work through problems step-by-step before answering, a capability that turned out to be well-suited for writing code.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
A judge rejected this line of reasoning at a November hearing and did so again Monday, moving to set a Sept. 8 trial date and a Sept. 2 pretrial hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
I’ll say: “Fine. You guys get to choose. You’re the parents. But I’m curious to know what your reasoning is.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
He was positive he was doomed, and there was just no reasoning with him.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
