reason (reasons plural & 3rd person present) (reasoning present participle) (reasoned past tense & past participle )
1 n-count The reasonfor something is a fact or situation which explains why it happens or what causes it to happen.
usu with supp, oft N for n, N to-inf
There is a reason for every important thing that happens..., Who would have a reason to want to kill her?
2 n-uncount If you say that you have reasonto believe something or to have a particular emotion, you mean that you have evidence for your belief or there is a definite cause of your feeling.
usu N to-inf
They had reason to believe there could be trouble..., He had every reason to be upset...
3 n-uncount The ability that people have to think and to make sensible judgments can be referred to as reason.
...a conflict between emotion and reason...
4 verb If you reasonthat something is true, you decide that it is true after thinking carefully about all the facts.
I reasoned that changing my diet would lower my cholesterol level... V that
`Listen,' I reasoned, `it doesn't take a genius to figure out what Adam's up to.' V with quote
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reasoned
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reasoning
5 If one thing happens by reason of another, it happens because of it.
FORMAL
by reason of phrase PHR n
The boss retains enormous influence by reason of his position...
6 If you try to make someone listen to reason, you try to persuade them to listen to sensible arguments and be influenced by them.
listen to reason phrase V inflects
The company's top executives had refused to listen to reason.
7 If you say that something happened or was done for no reason, for no good reason, or for no reason at all, you mean that there was no obvious reason why it happened or was done.
for no reason/ for no reason at all phrase PHR with cl
The guards, he said, would punch them for no reason..., For no reason at all the two men started to laugh.
8 If a person or thing is someone's reason for living or their reason for being, they are the most important thing in that person's life.
reason for living/reason for being phrase usu poss PHR
Chloe is my reason for living.
9 If you say that something happened or is true for some reason, you mean that you know it happened or is true, but you do not know why.
for some reason phrase PHR with cl (vagueness)
For some inexplicable reason she was attracted to Patrick.
10 If you say that you will do anything within reason, you mean that you will do anything that is fair or reasonable and not too extreme.
within reason phrase PHR with cl, n PHR
I will take any job that comes along, within reason...
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rhyme or reason
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rhyme
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to see reason
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see
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it stands to reason
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stand reason with phrasal verb If you try to reason with someone, you try to persuade them to do or accept something by using sensible arguments.
I have watched parents trying to reason with their children and have never seen it work. V P n
