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reason
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
reason
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a likely cause/reason
▪ the likely cause of the accident
a sound reason
▪ Both these buyers have sound reasons for their choice.
an obvious reason
▪ The plan, for obvious reasons, was being kept secret.
be grounds/cause/reason for optimism
▪ The lower crime figures are certainly grounds for optimism.
be/go beyond the bounds of credibility/reason/decency etc
▪ The humor in the movie sometimes goes beyond the bounds of good taste.
chief reason
▪ The chief reason for this is that people are living longer.
cogent argument/reason/case etc
▪ a cogent argument for banning the drug
commercial considerations/reasons/purposes
▪ Commercial considerations must come second to conservation of the environment.
common sense prevails/reason prevails (=a sensible decision is made)
▪ He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.
every reason
▪ We have every reason to believe that the operation will be a success.
for no apparent reason
▪ He left suddenly, for no apparent reason.
for personal reasons
▪ The company’s chief executive has resigned for personal reasons.
for purely political reasons
▪ a decision made for purely political reasons
for safety reasons (also for safety’s sake) (= in order to make something safe)
▪ For safety reasons visitors won’t be able to go down the tunnels.
for security reasons
▪ He can’t be identified for security reasons.
for sentimental reasons
▪ He wasn’t the sort of person who kept things for sentimental reasons.
For some inexplicable reason,
For some inexplicable reason, he felt depressed.
For some strange reason
For some strange reason, I slept like a baby despite the noise.
For some unaccountable reason
For some unaccountable reason, he arrived a day early.
For some unknown reason
For some unknown reason, Mark quit his job and moved to Greece.
for various reasons
▪ He decided to leave school for various reasons.
For...obscure reason
For some obscure reason, the group is very popular.
have (good) reason to complain
▪ We felt we had good reason to complain about the food at the hotel.
have little/no reason to complain
▪ The school is good and parents have little reason to complain.
humanitarian grounds/reasons/purposes
▪ He was released from prison on humanitarian grounds.
line of argument/reasoning/inquiry etc
▪ It seemed useless to pursue this line of questioning.
▪ Opposition parties soon realized they would have to try a different line of attack.
listen to reason (=accept sensible advice)
▪ She refused to listen to reason.
no particular reason
▪ For no particular reason, he quit the job.
ostensible reason/purpose/aim
▪ The ostensible reason for his resignation was ill health.
powerful reasons/arguments (=reasons that make you think that something must be true)
put forward a reason/explanation
▪ A variety of reasons have been put forward to explain these changes.
real reason
▪ What was the real reason you quit your job?
reason why
▪ There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be friends.
reason
▪ I had a perfectly valid reason for being there.
see reason/sense (=realize that you are wrong or doing something stupid)
▪ I just can’t get her to see reason!
tactical reasons
▪ Two players were substituted for tactical reasons.
the fundamental reason
▪ The fundamental reason for the project’s failure was the lack of funds.
the sole reason
▪ His sole reason for calling was to shower abuse upon me.
the underlying cause/reason
▪ Stress is the underlying cause of many illnesses.
There’s no reason to suppose (=it is unlikely that)
There’s no reason to suppose he’s lying.
this/that very reason
▪ I want everyone to be able to cook my recipes, so for that very reason I chose inexperienced cooks to test them.
time/reason/trouble etc enoughold-fashioned
▪ Come on – there’ll be time enough to chat later.
within reason (=within reasonable limits)
▪ You can go anywhere you want within reason.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
good
▪ All in all, I think I have good reason to hate her.
▪ But it was also because caregivers were reluctant, sometimes for good reason, to bear bad news.
▪ There is, therefore, good reason to believe the Shingle Street story is true.
▪ Johnson is perhaps the most businesslike member of the U. S. Olympic team, with good reason.
▪ But I don't like it here, and I've good reason for going.
▪ They come here for good reason.
▪ Nixon believed to his dying day, and with good reason, that Kennedy had stolen the contest, especially in Illinois.
▪ When my kids withdraw from my questions, they usually have a good reason for doing so.
legal
▪ The girl, who can not be named for legal reasons, had been left alone when a friend went home.
▪ This is for legal reasons, to prevent a suit.
▪ The child, who can not be named for legal reasons, was staying with her grandparents in south Devon.
▪ Loretta guessed there were legal reasons for the terse nature of the item.
▪ The girl, who can not be named for legal reasons, was then led out the back door of the court.
▪ The names can not be published for legal reasons.
▪ The woman, who can not be named for legal reasons, wants the circumstances of her children's care proceedings examined.
main
▪ The technique is used for three main reasons.
▪ Keeping churches open is the main reason nonpriests are overseeing an increasing number of parishes.
▪ The final section is the expedition, the main reason why people do the award scheme.
▪ Four out of five girls aged 12 to 14 said peer pressure was the main reason to begin smoking.
▪ The main reason is the shortage of real attractions.
▪ The main reason why pensioners are in this plight is the Tory Government's decision in 1980.
▪ One of the main reasons on the pitch was our inability to convert opportunities.
▪ The main reason lay in the rising level of interest repayments home owners had to make.
major
▪ The hope of finding wild trees with natural resistance was a major reason for collecting wild cocoa in the Upper Amazon.
▪ The major reason for this was that there were far fewer people to put in them.
▪ The major reason is that ideas in politics are not just academic.
▪ There is one major reason for this: The governors are far more popular than congressional Republicans.
▪ He had no doubt that a major reason was drink or, sometimes, gambling.
▪ One major reason stems from the relative urgency of working capital decisions.
▪ This is another major reason for the inadequate views of doubt among Christians.
▪ A second major reason for the importance of working capital management is the size of the working capital accounts.
obvious
▪ For obvious reasons, her reaction to Moira's death was the one that interested me most.
▪ But it is not a dream that is likely to come true, though perhaps not for the obvious reason.
▪ For obvious reasons, the tenants absolve the local authority of responsibility.
▪ Football fans were smiling for obvious reasons.
▪ For obvious reasons, the person with minimal education who wrote to a radio station was an exception.
▪ A tradition of exclusion, no less despicable for being time-honored, is one obvious reason.
▪ ANTI-SOCIAL Friends were having repeated trouble with their telephone, for which there seemed to be no obvious reason.
▪ For obvious reasons Jim could not conduct a public courtship, and so he learned to make a secret of his movements.
only
▪ The only reason Janine had cheered up was because she was taking her child from her.
▪ The only possible reason for your unwarranted interference is boredom!
▪ It's the only reason you've been allowed to stay on.
▪ That's the only reason I slunk out of that place!
▪ The only reason you want custody of Kirsty is so you can get your hands on her inheritance.
▪ The only reason must be the absence of a family.
▪ The only reason I ever kept on that bloody flat was for Dandy to have somewhere to come back to.
▪ The frequency-dependence in the advantage of unrestrained fighting is probably not the only reason why natural fighting is restrained.
personal
▪ However, she will also have to deal with pressures from her own colleagues who are seeking special consideration for personal reasons.
▪ In all such cases express personal and professional reasons for its study.
▪ We have separated for personal reasons.
▪ Williams flew from Austin back to California on Friday for personal reasons.
▪ He succeeds Ray Nakano, 49, who left the company several months ago for personal reasons, a company spokesman said.
▪ Ten participants completed the course successfully, one leaving for personal reasons.
▪ As the Gay situation unraveled, reserve guard Charlie Taylor was granted an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.
simple
▪ Stockbrokers, politicians and company chairmen hanker after retail investors for the same, simple reason: they think they are chumps.
▪ For one very simple reason, my friend.
▪ And it comes first for one simple reason: civilization rolls on wheels, and lathes make wheels.
▪ It failed for the simple reason that no coherent principles or policies came forward to replace the old ones.
▪ He has often done anything and everything that was necessary to win games for a simple reason -- he could.
▪ It was not something which occurred all that often for the simple reason that he did not have the wherewithal.
▪ It is going to take off for the simple reason that everybody, with the fundamentalists in the lead, wants change.
■ VERB
give
▪ In it she asked him to come home, but she did not give a reason.
▪ She gave me no reason to hope, and the integrity that fueled her principles only made my position worse.
▪ So, giving reasons for our thoughts and actions does not perhaps have the solidity and universality that we might believe.
▪ It did not give a clear reason.
▪ Of course no one gave that as a reason - except for Abie Klugman, and poor Abie didn't really count.
▪ She says she might oppose the final annexation plan if given enough reason.
▪ It gives me a reason for staying.
▪ The Supreme Court gave no reason for declining to hear the case.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
circular argument/logic/reasoning
▪ Clearly the more elaborate the dress, the more dress-fasteners required, although there is here the danger of a circular argument.
▪ Failure to recognize this leads to circular arguments.
▪ Pupils can often fall back on a circular argument such as: Why is the relationship linear?
▪ The Court refused to allow itself to be caught in a circular argument as to which State needed to waive immunity first.
▪ The irony in all this is the circular logic of what appears to be the new strategic competition.
▪ This appears to be a circular argument, typical of closed-belief systems.
▪ We start by talking about a problem of circular reasoning to motivate the diagram.
compelling reason/argument/case etc
▪ Barring a compelling reason, governments should not discriminate between classes of citizens.
▪ But there are a number of compelling reasons to stand in line.
▪ But, in any event, there is no compelling reason to justify section 9.
▪ He was energetic, headstrong, and unorthodox-and he had compelling reasons for reducing the ruinously expensive Soviet nuclear arsenal.
▪ However, it is necessary to say a word or two here to refute this seemingly compelling argument.
▪ In the high-visibility, emotionally compelling cases such as maternity stays, an uproar resulted.
▪ The record is good but there is no compelling reason to buy.
▪ Unless there are other compelling reasons, therefore, never borrow money yourself to obtain funds needed by your corporation.
it stands to reason (that)
▪ But the important decisions ... well, it stands to reason that these would be the sole responsibility of the man.
▪ Well, it stands to reason, doesn't it?
▪ Well, it sounds a very obvious thing for us to say - but it stands to reason.
no earthly reason/use etc
▪ As far as I could tell, there was no earthly reason for Fanshawe to have chosen me for this job.
▪ It serves no earthly use to recapitulate the damage that they do, and which we know they do.
▪ Surely there's no earthly reason why you should not come with me to mass?
▪ There is no earthly reason why I shouldn't be able to move like these young athletes.
▪ There seemed to be no earthly reason for the Bureau to resist such status-but it did.
no rhyme or reason
▪ It claims that there is no rhyme or reason to stock-market investment.
▪ There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the colors.
the voice of reason/experience etc
▪ However, while the voice of reason is presently peripheral, its steady hum may well be heard.
▪ It was the voice of reason.
▪ Sadly the voices of reason are overwhelmed or ignored, even though in the long-term they are safer guardians of our values.
▪ Satan does not realise that real freedom is found in obeying the voice of reason.
▪ Whereas Ian would be resourceful and brave, Barbara would be the voice of reason, relating their experiences in human terms.
▪ You could not hear the voice of reason, only the terrible curiosity, insisting that it be satisfied.
valid reason/argument/criticism etc
▪ A 1977 Supreme Court ruling permits police stopping a car for valid reasons to order drivers to exit.
▪ A second and equally valid argument is that the publishing world is an invaluable source of knowledge.
▪ Accepting criticism Accepting valid criticism is also part of this group of assertive actions.
▪ But a complete justification of authority has to do more than to provide valid reasons for its acceptance.
▪ But neither do we have to be defensive if they occasionally have a valid criticism.
▪ But there are also valid reasons for optimism.
▪ No serious thinker can make a valid argument that to discriminate based on species is acceptable.
▪ Povert drudgery and loneliness are valid reasons for sadness; beyond and beneath, far outreaching them all, is unrequited love.
with the best of intentions/for the best of reasons
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "Why are you helping her?" "She asked me to. That's the only reason."
▪ Can anyone explain the reason for the delay?
▪ Dad went off to find out the reason for the delay.
▪ For reasons best known to themselves, my parents were vehemently opposed to the idea.
▪ For security reasons, there were video cameras at the school entrance.
▪ I can think of lots of reasons to get married.
▪ In times of war, reason can give way to racism.
▪ No, he isn't here - he had to go back to Poland for some reason.
▪ One of the main reasons that she looks so good is that she has her own personal stylist.
▪ Political negotiation always involves a balance between reason and force.
▪ The reason why the economy is growing more slowly is a lack of workers.
▪ The reason why we need these laws is to protect children from violent adults.
▪ The main reason she quit is that she was not being paid enough.
▪ The real reason we weren't getting along wasn't so simple.
▪ The school is proud of its record, and with good reason.
▪ There's no reason to doubt what she says.
▪ There's no reason why Jon can't come with us.
▪ There were two reasons behind the company's failure.
▪ We have every reason to believe he is guilty.
▪ What was your reason for leaving your last job?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ As a result of these findings Glaxo stopped clinical trials comparing ranitidine with omeprazole for ethical reasons.
▪ He couldn't provide the money, but for some reason they accepted his guarantee.
▪ One reason that computer books have improved and increased is that ownership and awareness of computers has grown.
▪ The changes are about how to discipline and the reasons for requiring obedience to certain rules.
▪ There's always a reason to have a good laugh.
▪ There is no reason at all, however, why such states should endure for ever.
▪ This may be one reason for the diversity in the experiences of drinkers.
▪ This unlikely concoction was one of the more important pharmacological advances in the history of medicine, albeit for the wrong reasons.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
why
▪ He goes on to outline the areas of concern and reasons why they had not been dealt with.
▪ There is no important theory-based reason why these countries rather than others were selected.
▪ There are, of course, good reasons why the control of human behavior is resisted.
▪ This points to still another reason why minimizing is an ineffective means of dealing with ongoing costs.
▪ Ordinarily, these facts would be recited by Gore as reasons why he should succeed to the top job.
▪ There are three basic reasons why leaders are important.
▪ Any reason why it had to be filled?
▪ Despite these powerful arguments against mutual funds, there are still reasons why it makes sense for ordinary investors to own them.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
circular argument/logic/reasoning
▪ Clearly the more elaborate the dress, the more dress-fasteners required, although there is here the danger of a circular argument.
▪ Failure to recognize this leads to circular arguments.
▪ Pupils can often fall back on a circular argument such as: Why is the relationship linear?
▪ The Court refused to allow itself to be caught in a circular argument as to which State needed to waive immunity first.
▪ The irony in all this is the circular logic of what appears to be the new strategic competition.
▪ This appears to be a circular argument, typical of closed-belief systems.
▪ We start by talking about a problem of circular reasoning to motivate the diagram.
compelling reason/argument/case etc
▪ Barring a compelling reason, governments should not discriminate between classes of citizens.
▪ But there are a number of compelling reasons to stand in line.
▪ But, in any event, there is no compelling reason to justify section 9.
▪ He was energetic, headstrong, and unorthodox-and he had compelling reasons for reducing the ruinously expensive Soviet nuclear arsenal.
▪ However, it is necessary to say a word or two here to refute this seemingly compelling argument.
▪ In the high-visibility, emotionally compelling cases such as maternity stays, an uproar resulted.
▪ The record is good but there is no compelling reason to buy.
▪ Unless there are other compelling reasons, therefore, never borrow money yourself to obtain funds needed by your corporation.
no earthly reason/use etc
▪ As far as I could tell, there was no earthly reason for Fanshawe to have chosen me for this job.
▪ It serves no earthly use to recapitulate the damage that they do, and which we know they do.
▪ Surely there's no earthly reason why you should not come with me to mass?
▪ There is no earthly reason why I shouldn't be able to move like these young athletes.
▪ There seemed to be no earthly reason for the Bureau to resist such status-but it did.
no rhyme or reason
▪ It claims that there is no rhyme or reason to stock-market investment.
▪ There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the colors.
the voice of reason/experience etc
▪ However, while the voice of reason is presently peripheral, its steady hum may well be heard.
▪ It was the voice of reason.
▪ Sadly the voices of reason are overwhelmed or ignored, even though in the long-term they are safer guardians of our values.
▪ Satan does not realise that real freedom is found in obeying the voice of reason.
▪ Whereas Ian would be resourceful and brave, Barbara would be the voice of reason, relating their experiences in human terms.
▪ You could not hear the voice of reason, only the terrible curiosity, insisting that it be satisfied.
valid reason/argument/criticism etc
▪ A 1977 Supreme Court ruling permits police stopping a car for valid reasons to order drivers to exit.
▪ A second and equally valid argument is that the publishing world is an invaluable source of knowledge.
▪ Accepting criticism Accepting valid criticism is also part of this group of assertive actions.
▪ But a complete justification of authority has to do more than to provide valid reasons for its acceptance.
▪ But neither do we have to be defensive if they occasionally have a valid criticism.
▪ But there are also valid reasons for optimism.
▪ No serious thinker can make a valid argument that to discriminate based on species is acceptable.
▪ Povert drudgery and loneliness are valid reasons for sadness; beyond and beneath, far outreaching them all, is unrequited love.
with the best of intentions/for the best of reasons
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A third element came on the scene: all believers who are capable of reasoning.
▪ Admittedly they were only nineteen, but surely, he reasoned, there must be more to married life than this?
▪ As children develop affectively, parallel changes can be observed in their moral reasoning.
▪ If we can do it, they can do it, the reasoning goes.
▪ These factors influence not only cognitive reasoning but also affective reasoning.
▪ They, too, reasoned that Death, having gorged itself on their neighbours, would have long since moved on.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Reason

Reason \Rea"son\ (r[=e]"z'n), n. [OE. resoun, F. raison, fr. L. ratio (akin to Goth. ra[thorn]j[=o] number, account, gara[thorn]jan to count, G. rede speech, reden to speak), fr. reri, ratus, to reckon, believe, think. Cf. Arraign, Rate, Ratio, Ration.]

  1. A thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; a just ground for a conclusion or an action; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation; the efficient cause of an occurrence or a phenomenon; a motive for an action or a determination; proof, more or less decisive, for an opinion or a conclusion; principle; efficient cause; final cause; ground of argument.

    I'll give him reasons for it.
    --Shak.

    The reason of the motion of the balance in a wheel watch is by the motion of the next wheel.
    --Sir M. Hale.

    This reason did the ancient fathers render, why the church was called ``catholic.''
    --Bp. Pearson.

    Virtue and vice are not arbitrary things; but there is a natural and eternal reason for that goodness and virtue, and against vice and wickedness.
    --Tillotson.

  2. The faculty or capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished from the intelligence of the inferior animals; the higher as distinguished from the lower cognitive faculties, sense, imagination, and memory, and in contrast to the feelings and desires. Reason comprises conception, judgment, reasoning, and the intuitional faculty. Specifically, it is the intuitional faculty, or the faculty of first truths, as distinguished from the understanding, which is called the discursive or ratiocinative faculty.

    We have no other faculties of perceiving or knowing anything divine or human, but by our five senses and our reason.
    --P. Browne.

    In common and popular discourse, reason denotes that power by which we distinguish truth from falsehood, and right from wrong, and by which we are enabled to combine means for the attainment of particular ends.
    --Stewart.

    Reason is used sometimes to express the whole of those powers which elevate man above the brutes, and constitute his rational nature, more especially, perhaps, his intellectual powers; sometimes to express the power of deduction or argumentation.
    --Stewart.

    By the pure reason I mean the power by which we become possessed of principles.
    --Coleridge.

    The sense perceives; the understanding, in its own peculiar operation, conceives; the reason, or rationalized understanding, comprehends.
    --Coleridge.

  3. Due exercise of the reasoning faculty; accordance with, or that which is accordant with and ratified by, the mind rightly exercised; right intellectual judgment; clear and fair deductions from true principles; that which is dictated or supported by the common sense of mankind; right conduct; right; propriety; justice.

    I was promised, on a time, To have reason for my rhyme.
    --Spenser.

    But law in a free nation hath been ever public reason; the enacted reason of a parliament, which he denying to enact, denies to govern us by that which ought to be our law; interposing his own private reason, which to us is no law.
    --Milton.

    The most probable way of bringing France to reason would be by the making an attempt on the Spanish West Indies.
    --Addison.

  4. (Math.) Ratio; proportion. [Obs.]
    --Barrow.

    By reason of, by means of; on account of; because of. ``Spain is thin sown of people, partly by reason of the sterility of the soil.''
    --Bacon.

    In reason,

    In all reason, in justice; with rational ground; in a right view.

    When anything is proved by as good arguments as a thing of that kind is capable of, we ought not, in reason, to doubt of its existence.
    --Tillotson.

    It is reason, it is reasonable; it is right. [Obs.]

    Yet it were great reason, that those that have children should have greatest care of future times.
    --Bacon.

    Syn: Motive; argument; ground; consideration; principle; sake; account; object; purpose; design. See Motive, Sense.

Reason

Reason \Rea"son\, v. t.

  1. To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss; as, I reasoned the matter with my friend.

    When they are clearly discovered, well digested, and well reasoned in every part, there is beauty in such a theory.
    --T. Burnet.

  2. To support with reasons, as a request. [R.]
    --Shak.

  3. To persuade by reasoning or argument; as, to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan.

    Men that will not be reasoned into their senses.
    --L'Estrange.

  4. To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons; -- with down; as, to reason down a passion.

  5. To find by logical processes; to explain or justify by reason or argument; -- usually with out; as, to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon.

Reason

Reason \Rea"son\ (r[=e]"z'n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Reasoned (r[=e]"z'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Reasoning.] [Cf. F. raisonner. See Reason, n.]

  1. To exercise the rational faculty; to deduce inferences from premises; to perform the process of deduction or of induction; to ratiocinate; to reach conclusions by a systematic comparison of facts.

  2. Hence: To carry on a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to formulate and set forth propositions and the inferences from them; to argue.

    Stand still, that I may reason with you, before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord.
    --1 Sam. xii. 7.

  3. To converse; to compare opinions.
    --Shak.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
reason

early 14c., resunmen, "to question (someone)," also "to challenge," from Old French raisoner "speak, discuss; argue; address; speak to," from Late Latin rationare "to discourse," from ratio (see reason (n.)). Intransitive sense of "to think in a logical manner" is from 1590s; transitive sense of "employ reasoning (with someone)" is from 1847. Related: Reasoned; reasoning.

reason

c.1200, "intellectual faculty that adopts actions to ends," also "statement in an argument, statement of explanation or justification," from Anglo-French resoun, Old French raison "course; matter; subject; language, speech; thought, opinion," from Latin rationem (nominative ratio) "reckoning, understanding, motive, cause," from ratus, past participle of reri "to reckon, think," from PIE root *re(i)- "to reason, count" (source of Old English rædan "to advise;" see read (v.)).\n

\nMeaning "sanity; degree of intelligence that distinguishes men from brutes" is recorded from late 13c. Sense of "grounds for action, motive, cause of an event" is from c.1300. Middle English sense of "meaning, signification" (early 14c.) is in the phrase rhyme or reason. Phrase it stands to reason is from 1630s. Age of Reason "the Enlightenment" is first recorded 1794, as the title of Tom Paine's book.

Wiktionary
reason

n. 1 A cause: 2 # That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause. 3 # A motive for an action or a determination. 4 # An excuse: a thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation. 5 (label en uncountable) rational thinking (or the capacity for it; the cognitive faculty, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition. vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To exercise the rational faculty; to deduce inferences from premises; to perform the process of deduction or of induction; to ratiocinate; to reach conclusions by a systematic comparison of facts. 2 (context intransitive English) Hence: To carry on a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to formulate and set forth propositions and the inferences from them; to argue. 3 (context intransitive English) To converse; to compare opinions. 4 (context transitive English) To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss. 5 (context transitive rare English) To support with reasons, as a request. 6 (context transitive English) To persuade by reasoning or argument. 7 (context transitive with ''down'' English) To overcome or conquer by adduce reasons. 8 (context transitive usually with ''out'' English) To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument.

WordNet
reason
  1. v. decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion; "We reasoned that it was cheaper to rent than to buy a house" [syn: reason out, conclude]

  2. present reasons and arguments [syn: argue]

  3. think logically; "The children must learn to reason"

reason
  1. n. a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration" [syn: ground]

  2. an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon; "the reason a steady state was never reached was that the back pressure built up too slowly"

  3. the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination; "we are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil" [syn: understanding, intellect]

  4. the state of having good sense and sound judgment; "his rationality may have been impaired"; "he had to rely less on reason than on rousing their emotions" [syn: rationality, reasonableness]

  5. a justification for something existing or happening; "he had no cause to complain"; "they had good reason to rejoice" [syn: cause, grounds]

  6. a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion; "there is reason to believe he is lying"

Wikipedia
Reason (software)

Reason is a digital audio workstation for creating and editing music and audio developed by Swedish software developers Propellerhead Software. It emulates a rack of hardware synthesizers, samplers, signal processors, sequencers, and mixers, all of which can be freely interconnected in an arbitrary manner. Reason can be used either as a complete virtual music studio or as a set of virtual instruments to be used with other sequencing software in a fashion that mimics live performance.

Reason (magazine)

Reason is an American libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 50,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.

Reason (disambiguation)

Reason is the analytic faculty of the human mind that maintains objectivity unto inspecting and organizing perceptions.

Reason may also refer to:

  • Rationality, the quality or state of being reasonable, based on facts or reason
  • Reason (argument), a factor which justifies or explains
Reason (Melanie C album)

Reason is the second album by English singer-songwriter, Melanie C. It was the follow up album to Northern Star. Released on 10 March 2003, it reached number five in the UK Albums Chart, selling 30,876 copies in its first week. Although not performing as well as Northern Star, Reason has a Gold certification in the United Kingdom, with 101,889 copies sold. The album has sold 500,000 copies worldwide. The album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. Most reviews for the album were mixed to positive.

Reason (Officium Triste album)

Reason is the third album by Officium Triste released in 2004 by Displeased Records.

Reason (Shaman album)

Reason is the second studio album by the Brazilian heavy metal band Shaaman, first released in 2005. "Innocence" was released as the band's first single.

Reason (EP)

Reason EP is the second EP from Denver-based rock band the Fray, released in 2003 by an independent record label. In October 2007, the EP was re-released by Epic Records.

Reason (No Angels song)

"Reason" is a pop song written by Thorsten Brötzmann and Alexander Geringas for the No Angels' debut studio album Elle'ments (2001). Originally entitled "That's the Reason", a Brötzmann and Geringas produced and partially re-written version of the song was released as the band's farewell single on 24 November 2003 (see 2003 in music) before their disbandment in December 2003. While "Reason" peaked at number 9 in Germany, number 12 in Austria and number 28 in Switzerland, the song failed to enter the top 40 of the European charts.

Reason

Reason is the capacity for consciously making sense of things, applying logic, establishing and verifying facts, and changing or justifying practices, institutions, and beliefs based on new or existing information. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, mathematics, and art and is normally considered to be a definitive characteristic of human nature. Reason, or as aspect of it, is sometimes referred to as rationality. And a distinction is sometimes made between discursive reason, reason proper, and intuitive reason.

Reason or "reasoning" is associated with thinking, cognition, and intellect. Reason, like habit or intuition, is one of the ways by which thinking comes from one idea to a related idea. For example, it is the means by which rational beings understand themselves to think about cause and effect, truth and falsehood, and what is good or bad. It is also closely identified with the ability to self-consciously change beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and institutions, and therefore with the capacity for freedom and self-determination.

In contrast to reason as an abstract noun, a reason is a consideration which explains or justifies some event, phenomenon, or behavior. The field of logic studies ways in which human beings reason through argument.

Psychologists and cognitive scientists have attempted to study and explain how people reason, e.g. which cognitive and neural processes are engaged, and how cultural factors affect the inferences that people draw. The field of automated reasoning studies how reasoning may or may not be modeled computationally. Animal psychology considers the question of whether animals other than humans can reason.

Reason (short story)

"Reason" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and collected in I, Robot (1950), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot Visions (1990). It is part of Asimov's Robot series, and was the second of Asimov's positronic robot stories to see publication.

In 1967, this short story was adapted into an episode of British television series Out of the Unknown entitled "The Prophet". The robot costumes that were used in this particular episode of the anthology series were later re-used for the Doctor Who serial The Mind Robber. The costumes were re-painted from black to grey and yellow as they were to be shot against a completely white backdrop for the serial in question.

Reason (argument)

A reason is a consideration which justifies or explains.

Reasons are what people appeal to when making arguments about what people should do or believe. (Those are reasons in the normative sense.) For example, the fact that a doctor's patient is grimacing is a reason to believe the patient is in pain. The fact that the patient is in pain is a reason for the doctor to do things to alleviate the pain.

In another sense of the term, reasons are explanations of why things happened. (These are reasons in the explanatory sense.) For example, the reason the patient is in pain is that her nerves are sending signals from her tissues to her brain.

A reason, in many cases, is brought up by the question "why?", and answered following the word "because." Additionally, words and phrases like: since, due to, as, considering (that), a result (of), and in order to, for example, all serve as explanatory locutions that precede the reason to which they refer.

Reason (Nami Tamaki song)

"Reason" is the 6th single release from J-Pop artist Nami Tamaki. It was released on 11-10-2004, and ranked #2 on the Oricon charts. It also was used as the ending theme to the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.

Reason (Violent Apathy album)

Reason is a compilation of songs by the hardcore punk band Violent Apathy. The songs are from the early days of the band before the release of their album Here Today.

Reason (Selah Sue album)

Reason is the second studio album by the Belgian recording artist Selah Sue. Distributed by Warner Music Group, it was released by Because Music on March 26, 2015.

Reason (Selah Sue song)

Reason is a song by Belgian recording artist Selah Sue. It was written by Sue, Clément Dumoulin, Birsen Uçar, and Robin Hannibal for her same-titled second studio album (2015), while production was helmed by the latter. Distributed by Warner Music Group, it was released as the album's second single by Because Music on February 16, 2015

Reason (TV special)

Reason is a South Korean single-episode television drama starring Lee Bo-hee and Greena Park. It aired on July 3, 2010 as the 6th episode of Drama Special, a weekly program on KBS2 showing short dramas (usually single episodes), with each episode having a different story, cast, director, and writer.

Usage examples of "reason".

This door, it is true, stands open, as it were, in those who think and will from reason in accord with the civil laws of the land and the moral laws of society, for they speak what they think and do what they will to do.

Yet he does not have the ability to will good in freedom and to do it in accord with reason unless he is regenerated.

But as was just said, it is one thing to act from freedom in accord with reason, and another thing to act from freedom itself and according to reason itself.

Now, since the Lord wills that a man be reformed and regenerated in order that eternal life or the life of heaven may be his, and none can be reformed or regenerated unless good is appropriated to his will and truth to his understanding as if they were his, and only that can be appropriated which is done in freedom of the will and in accord with the reason of the understanding, no one is reformed in states of no freedom or rationality.

When it does, the internal of thought is closed and thereupon man can no longer act in freedom in accord with his reason, nor be reformed.

Here Masonry pauses, and leaves its Initiates to carry out and develop these great Truths in such manner as to each may seem most accordant with reason, philosophy, truth, and his religious faith.

Mary Harris, for example, found her work as a senior accountant absorbing, part of the reason she was one of the most dedicated accounting employees at her firm.

If this reason does not satisfy the reader, I know no other means of accounting for the little respect which I have commonly seen paid to a character which really does great honour to human nature, and is productive of the highest good to society.

There were other reasons to use this accounting idea that nobody was mentioning.

This is the picture some people draw of hormone action in general, and for this reason acetylcholine is sometimes considered an example of a neurohormone that is, a hormone acting on the nerves.

Another reason was, the French inhabitants being very loyal to the crown, of very simple habits, and possessing institutions to which they were attached, it was advisable that means for maintaining those institutions should be reserved to them.

Or can any carnal appetite so overpower your reason, or so totally lay it asleep, as to prevent your flying with affright and terror from a crime which carries such punishment always with it?

Culture had been on the far side of the galaxy from the Affront home planet, and contacts between the Culture and the Affront had been unusually sparse for a long time for a variety of frankly banal reasons.

For this reason, when there was some talk of establishing an agronomic station at Avignon, and of appointing him director, he was at first warmly in favour of the idea.

Some of these responses might occur in an allergic reaction, but not from an overdose, and Jeffrey had reason to believe that Patty Owen had not been allergic to Marcaine.