reason

rea|son1 [ `rizn ] noun ***

1. ) count a fact, situation, or intention that explains why something happened, why someone did something, or why something is true:

reason for: The police asked her the reason for her visit.

reason for doing something: Could you explain your reasons for choosing this particular course?

reason why: The reason why so many people caught the disease is still not clear.

reason (that): The reason these cars are so expensive is that they are largely built by hand.

for a reason: The woman cannot be named for legal reasons.

for the simple/obvious/good reason (that): We can't take you all, for the simple reason that there isn't enough room in the car.

give a reason: Our application was rejected, but the council gave no reason for its decision.

a ) uncount a good or clear cause for doing something or thinking something:

reason for: With plenty of orders coming in, there is reason for optimism about the company's future.

reason to do something: Is there any reason to believe that she isn't telling the truth?

there is every reason to do something (=there are very clear reasons): There was every reason to expect that he would agree.

with reason/not without reason: He has refused to pay, not without reason.

have no reason to do something: She has no reason to shout at you.

see no reason/not see any reason (=when there is no obvious reason why something should happen): I can't see any reason for refusing their invitation.

2. ) uncount a way of behaving that most people accept as sensible:

listen to/see reason: He finally saw reason and gave me the gun.

reason prevails (=wins): Fortunately, reason prevailed and she did not marry him.

She had reason on her side.

within reason (=according to what is sensible): Let your children have their freedom, within reason.

3. ) uncount the human ability to think in an intelligent way, make sensible decisions, and form clear arguments:

His assessment of the situation is based on sheer emotion, not reason.

all the more reason

used for emphasizing that what someone has said or done is another reason why they should do a particular thing:

But some of those kids can hardly read or write! All the more reason why they should get the best education on offer.

by reason of VERY FORMAL

because of

due to/for reasons beyond someone's control

used for saying that you are not responsible for something that has happened, especially when you are sorry about it:

The organizers said the event had been canceled for reasons beyond their control.

Due to reasons beyond our control, all flights are suffering delays.

for no (apparent) reason

without an obvious cause:

Sometimes the dog would bark for no apparent reason.

for one reason or another

used for saying that there is more than one reason for something:

His travel articles are always, for one reason or another, fascinating.

for reasons best known to himself/herself etc.

used for saying that you do not understand why someone does something

for reasons of economy/safety/security etc.

used for showing why a particular thing is done:

The design was changed purely for reasons of safety.

for some reason

used for saying that you do not know why something happened, especially when you think there is no good reason:

For some reason, they wouldn't let me help them.

give me one good reason

used for emphasizing that you do not think there is a good reason for doing something:

He's lied to us before, so give me one good reason why we should believe him now.

have your reasons INFORMAL

to have a personal reason for doing something that you are not going to discuss with anyone:

I suppose she has her reasons for not joining us.

no reason SPOKEN

used when you do not want to tell someone why you have done something

the reason behind something

the real explanation or cause of something, which is not immediately obvious:

The reasons behind his decision were never made public.

=> STAND1

reason

rea|son 2 [ `rizn ] verb

1. ) transitive FORMAL to make a particular judgment after you have thought about the facts of a situation in an intelligent and sensible way:

reason (that): We reasoned that they would not dare leave before dark.

2. ) intransitive to have the ability to think in an intelligent way, make sensible decisions, and form clear arguments

,reason `out phrasal verb transitive

reason something out to find a successful way of dealing with something by thinking about it

`reason with phrasal verb transitive

reason with someone to try to persuade someone to do something by explaining why you think it is sensible:

It's no use trying to reason with people like that.