What does "reason" mean?
A cause:; That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
Reason
/ˈɹiː.zən/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A cause:; That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause.
- Grammar: reason is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: cause, grounds, rationality, acceptable.
- Useful contrasts: random guessing, absurd, absurdity.
- Usage evidence: For some reason I feel more alive at night.
How to use "reason"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reason" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "reason" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "reason" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "reason" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "reason" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cause" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "reason", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cause:; That which causes something: an efficient cause, a proximate cause. countable, uncountable
"The reason this tree fell is that it had rotted."
- 2 A wall plate.
- 3 the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination wordnet
- 4 A cause:; A motive for an action or a determination. countable, uncountable
"He made reason with his boss about taking a day off."
- 5 a fact that logically justifies some premise or conclusion wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A cause:; 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. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 7 an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon wordnet
- 8 A cause:; A premise placed after its conclusion. countable, uncountable
- 9 a justification for something existing or happening wordnet
- 10 Rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition. uncountable
"Mankind should develop reason above all other virtues."
- 11 a rational motive for a belief or action wordnet
- 12 Something reasonable, in accordance with thought; justice. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"16th century Edmund Spenser, Lines on his Promised Pension I was promised, on a time, To have reason for my rhyme."
- 13 the state of having good sense and sound judgment wordnet
- 14 Ratio; proportion. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[I]f two Quantities repreſented by the Numbers 20 and 4 be compared, by dividing the Antecedent 20 by the Conſequent 4, the Quotient is 5; but inverting the Terms, by dividing 4 by 20 the Quotient is #92;tfrac#123;4#125;#123;20#125;#61;#92;tfrac#123;1#125;#123;5#125;. By which Quotients are declared the Geometrical Reaſons of the propoſed Quantities, becauſe if the Quotient found be multiplied by the Conſequent, the Product is equal to the Antecedent; for in the former Compariſon 5#92;times4#61;20, in the latter #92;tfrac#123;1#125;#123;5#125;#92;times20#61;4; as Things again are referred to Equality."
Verb
- 1 To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational. intransitive
""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. […]""
- 2 think logically wordnet
- 3 To perform a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to argue. intransitive
"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."
- 4 decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion wordnet
- 5 To converse; to compare opinions. intransitive, obsolete
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 present reasons and arguments wordnet
- 7 To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss. ambitransitive
"I reasoned the matter with my friend."
- 8 To support with reasons, as a request. rare, transitive
- 9 To persuade by reasoning or argument. transitive
"to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan"
- 10 To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons. transitive, with-down
"to reason down a passion"
- 11 To find by logical process; to explain or justify by reason or argument. transitive, usually
"to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"For some reason I feel more alive at night."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reason"?
Common synonyms include: cause, grounds, rationality, acceptable, accomplishment, account.
How do you use "reason" in a sentence?
For some reason I feel more alive at night.
How do you pronounce "reason"?
Pronounced /ˈɹiː.zən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English resoun, reson, from Anglo-Norman raisun (Old French raison), from Latin ratiō, from ratus, past participle of reor (“reckon”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂reh₁- (“to think”), reanalysed root of *h₂er- (“to put together”). Displaced native Middle English reden (found in compounds), from Old English rǣden (“condition, stipulation, calculation, direction”), from the same Proto-Indo-European source (compare West Frisian reden (“reason”), Dutch reden (“reason”)). Doublet of ration and ratio.
Etymology 2
From Middle English reason, reson, resen, rasen, from Old English ræsn (“beam, rafter, ceiling, wall panel”), probably from Proto-West Germanic *raʀn (“house”), from Proto-Germanic *razną (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erh₁- (“to rest”).