reason

Study(38)

UK /ˈɹiː.zən/ US /ˈɹi.zən/

noun 6verb 5name 1

Collocations

(noun.) cause/motive/justification; explanation of sth

ADJ

cogent, good, sound, strong | compelling, convincing | plausible | adequate, sufficient | bona fide, legitimate, valid

wrong

She quit her job for all the wrong reasons and regretted it immediately.

opposite

She wanted to leave the party early, but her friend stayed for the opposite reason.

important | special | chief, main, major, primary, principal

only, simple, sole

She quit her job for the sole reason that she wanted to spend more time with her children.

real, underlying

The underlying reason for his poor grades was that he hadn't been attending classes regularly.

very

That's the very reason I decided to study medicine instead of law.

apparent, particular

There was no particular reason why she decided to change jobs that morning.

no earthly, (no) possible

clear, obvious

The main reason for the traffic delay was obvious to everyone waiting on the highway.

unclear | logical | understandable | justifiable

inexplicable, unexplained, unknown

The meeting was cancelled for an unknown reason, and nobody received any official explanation.

unspecified

unconnected

The company decided to close the factory for reasons unconnected with the recent financial crisis.

VERB + REASON

be aware of, see

She wasn't aware of the reason why her best friend stopped calling her.

have

She had good reasons for leaving her job early that morning.

cite, give (sb/sth), set out, state

The manager cited several reasons for closing the office location next month.

cite sth as, give sth as | suggest | explain | understand | uncover

PREP

by ~ of

The company had to close the factory by reason of declining sales.

for a/the ~

The school closed for reasons of safety during the storm.

for ~ of

We had to cancel the picnic for reasons of bad weather.

with/without ~

My parents decided to move house without good reason, which surprised everyone.

~ against

Several arguments against the plan emerged during the meeting yesterday.

~ behind

Nobody understood the reason behind his sudden choice to leave the company.

~ for

There was no good reason for her sudden decision to leave the company.

PHRASES

all the more reason

She's busy with work, which is all the more reason to help her with the housework.

all sorts of reasons

Students drop out of university for all sorts of reasons, including financial problems and family issues.

any/every/little/no/one/some reason

She left the party early, but she had no reason to explain her sudden departure.

for reasons best known to yourself

My colleague decided to quit his job, for reasons best known to himself.

for whatever reason

For whatever reason, she decided to quit her job and travel around the world.

a number/variety of reasons, rhyme or reason

She left the job for a variety of reasons, including better pay and shorter commute.

(noun.) power to think logically; what is possible/right

ADJ

human

VERB + REASON

lose

When the argument got heated, she lost all reason and started shouting at everyone.

be open to, listen to, see

He was finally open to reason after we showed him the evidence.

PREP

beyond ~

His anger at the small mistake was completely beyond reason.

within ~

You can decorate your room however you like, within reason.

PHRASES

an appeal to reason

The teacher made an appeal to reason when the students wanted to skip the final exam.

it stands to reason

If you study hard all year, it stands to reason that you should pass the exam.

the voice of reason

When the argument got heated, my father was the voice of reason and suggested we all take a break.

Definitions

noun

A cause:

The reason this tree fell is that it had rotted.

There is a reason why so many should be symmetrical: The selective advantage in a symmetrical complex is enjoyed by all the subunits[…]

A cause:

He made reason with his boss about taking a day off.

The reason I robbed the bank was that I needed the money.

A cause:

I have forgotten the reason he gave for not travelling by air. I felt sure that it was not the correct reason, and that he suffered from a heart trouble which he kept to himself.

A cause:

Rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition.

Mankind should develop reason above all other virtues.

The tremendous tragedy in which he had been involved - it was evident he was a fugitive from Weybridge - had driven him to the very verge of his reason.

verb

To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational.

"I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data. […]"

To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue.

Still my spirit was not broken. I indulged the anticipation of escape, and that speedily. It was impossible, I reasoned, that men could be so unjust as to detain me as a slave, when the truth of my case was known.

“All right, Dad – I did follow you. But only because I was worried about you.” “Worried about me? I was worried about you! Hanging on to the roof of a speeding car! Are you nuts?” “It wasn’t moving when I climbed on to it,” reasoned the boy.

To converse; to compare opinions.

To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss.

I reasoned the matter with my friend.

The talk was mainly between Aleck and Murdie, the others crowding eagerly about and putting in a word as they could. Murdie was reasoning good-humoredly, Aleck replying fiercely.

To support with reasons, as a request.

noun

A wall plate.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimina

noun — a justification for something existing or happening

noun — a rational motive for a belief or action

ground

noun — the state of having good sense and sound judgment

rationality
reasonableness

verb — decide by reasoning

conclude

verb — present reasons and arguments

argue

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

stand to reason

To seem logical, rational, or reasonable; to make sense.

It stands to reason that because of the difference in climate the necessity for rugging a horse in Australia would vary considerably from that in cold countries like England […]

rhyme or reason

Logic; common sense.

Prices vary considerably from one town to another with no apparent rhyme or reason.

there is reason in the roasting of eggs

There is a reason behind even the most odd and seemingly unnecessary actions.

There is reason, it is said, in the roasting of eggs, and there is philosophy even in furniture—a philosophy nevertheless which seems to be more imperfectly understood by Americans

everything happens for a reason

Used for consolation, possibly self-consolation, after someone has experienced something unfavorable or unpleasant, and hence an encouragement to make the best of the situation.

I also believe that everything happens for a reason, so as the tears and self-pity subsided, I knew that there must be another way in which my newfound knowledge and Punch's sparkl

thirteenth reason why

Synonym of thirteenth reason.

Example Bank

The reason this tree fell is that it had rotted.

Wiktionary

There is a reason why so many should be symmetrical: The selective advantage in a symmetrical complex is enjoyed by all the subunits[…]

Wiktionary

He made reason with his boss about taking a day off.

Wiktionary

"I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data. […]"

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, reason is marked as obsolete, rare. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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