reason

American  

[ree-zuhn] / ˈri zən /

noun

• reasons
  plural

1. a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event, etc..

   the reasons for declaring war.

   Synonyms:

   objective, object, aim, end, purpose

2. a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action.

   I dare you to give me one good reason for quitting school!

3. 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

4. the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.

   Effective leadership requires a person of reason.

   Synonyms:

   intelligence, mind, intellect, understanding

5. sound judgment; good sense.

6. normal or sound powers of mind; sanity.

7. Logic. a premise of an argument.

8. Philosophy.

   1. the faculty or power of acquiring intellectual knowledge, either by direct understanding of first principles or by argument.

   2. the power of intelligent and dispassionate thought, or of conduct influenced by such thought.

   3. Kantianism. the faculty by which the ideas of pure reason are created.

---

verb (used without object)

• reasons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reasoned,
  past participle,  past
• reasoning
  present participle

1. to think or argue in a logical manner.

2. to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises.

3. to urge reasons which should determine belief or action.

   Synonyms:

   persuade

verb (used with object)

• reasons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reasoned,
  past participle,  past
• reasoning
  present participle

1. to think through logically, as a problem (often followed byout ).

2. to conclude or infer.

3. to convince, persuade, etc., by reasoning.

4. to support with reasons.

idioms

1. 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.

2. in / within reason, in accord with reason; justifiable; proper.

   She tried to keep her demands in reason.

3. by reason of, on account of; because of.

   He was consulted about the problem by reason of his long experience.

4. stand to reason, to be clear, obvious, or logical.

   With such an upbringing it stands to reason that the child will be spoiled.

5. with reason, with justification; properly.

   The government is concerned about the latest crisis, and with reason.

reason British  

/ ˈriːzən /

noun

1. the faculty of rational argument, deduction, judgment, etc

2. sound mind; sanity

3. a cause or motive, as for a belief, action, etc

4. an argument in favour of or a justification for something

5. philosophy the intellect regarded as a source of knowledge, as contrasted with experience

6. logic grounds for a belief; a premise of an argument supporting that belief

7. because of

8. within moderate or justifiable bounds

9. it is logical or obvious

   it stands to reason that he will lose

10. to be persuaded peaceably

11. political justifications for an immoral act

---

verb

1. (when tr, takes a clause as object) to think logically or draw (logical conclusions) from facts or premises

2. to urge or seek to persuade by reasoning

3. to work out or resolve (a problem) by reasoning

reason More Idioms  

1. see by reason of; in reason; it stands to reason; listen to reason; lose one's mind (reason); rhyme or reason; see reason; stand to reason; with reason.

---

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

• nonreason
  noun
• nonreasoner
  noun
• reasoner
  noun
• subreason
  noun
• outreason
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reasons
  plural

Participles

• reasoning
  present
• reasoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reason
  simple
• reasons
  simple
• have reasoned
  perfect
• has reasoned
  perfect
• am reasoning
  progressive
• are reasoning
  progressive
• is reasoning
  progressive
• have been reasoning
  perfect progressive
• has been reasoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• reasoned
  simple
• had reasoned
  perfect
• was reasoning
  progressive
• were reasoning
  progressive
• had been reasoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reason
  simple
• will have reasoned
  perfect
• will be reasoning
  progressive
• will have been reasoning
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reason reasons reasoned reasoning

Shares fell after the bell Wednesday when the company withheld fiscal year 2027 guidance, citing the new pricing structure as a primary reason.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

It turns out that there’s a reason the book was inescapable for so many kids.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026

By the end of the night, though, Dewsbury-Hall had every reason to smile.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Part of the reason the second half of 2026 has seen poor returns is the overly bullish consensus of investors in the summer, Hartnett contends.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

For some reason there is often not very much snow in the Burn and this year is no exception.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Those reported orders never materialized for several reasons, including a number of high-profile recalls and a much higher price tag than expected.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

With three meteor showers, a close planetary pairing, a historic Voyager 1 milestone, and the beginning of a supermoon series, November offers plenty of reasons to look up and explore the night sky.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

He reasons that if he was good enough the first time, he’d likely be good enough a second time—possibly even more so, with firsthand experience running a business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Those reasons echo concerns expressed by the other governors who have granted mass clemencies to people under death sentences.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

I don’t see why that matters, but I guess they had their reasons.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Cybersecurity stocks have been hot this year as investors have reasoned that artificial intelligence will heighten the need for digital protection.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Opponents say they are too young to make reasoned electoral choices and that they could be easily manipulated by adults.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

With the 19 addresses of “So Ordered”—each adapted as a tightly reasoned essay—Justice Alito affords the legal commentariat an unexacting way to understand his thought.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

If some ancient inks contained lead, he reasoned, that metal might absorb X rays far more strongly than the surrounding carbonized papyrus.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

He reasoned that everyone, especially Herbert Haupt, should have a chance to come forward and turn themselves in.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Other cognitive functions, including memory, reasoning and mental processing speed, also contributed to reading development, although they played more supporting roles.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Matthew Barera, another Michigan voter told the BBC, he, too, did not understand Stevens' reasoning.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

This is another reason why Vanguard focused on accounts with $100,000 or more, reasoning that people would be less likely to forget a high balance.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

I love Tiny’s reasoning in “The End of Vandalism” when a friend warns that he can’t run from his problems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Don Quixote was satisfied with this reasoning, and called all the others.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• argument
• basis
• cause
• consideration
• goal
• idea
• impetus
• incentive
• motivation
• motive
• proof
• purpose
• rationale

---