- reason
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 cause/motive/justification; explanation of sthADJECTIVE▪ cogent, good, sound, strong▪ compelling, convincing▪ plausible▪ adequate, sufficient▪ bona fide, legitimate, valid▪ wrong▪
He married her for all the wrong reasons.
▪ opposite▪Tom's problem was that he lacked confidence; Ed failed for precisely the opposite reason.
▪ important▪ special▪ big, chief, key, main, major, primary, principal▪There's one big reason why this won't work: cost.
▪ only, simple, sole▪The only reason I didn't become a professional golfer was because of my family commitments.
▪I was never good at school for the simple reason that I never studied.
▪ several, various▪I can think of several reasons why this might happen.
▪ common▪Isolation and loneliness are common reasons for depression.
▪ real, underlying▪She did not tell him the real reason for her change of heart.
▪The underlying reasons for these differences will be explored in depth in the next chapter.
▪ possible▪ cited, ostensible, stated▪The company's stated reason for firing him was misconduct.
▪ exact, very▪You're asking me to help, and that's the exact reason I came.
▪ apparent, particular▪He was attacked for no apparent reason.
▪ no earthly, no possible▪Surely there is no earthly reason why you wouldn't want to come with us?
▪ clear, obvious▪The reasons for her decision soon became clear.
▪ unclear▪ logical, rational▪ understandable▪ justifiable▪ unspecified▪ unconnected▪dismissal for reasons unconnected with misconduct
▪ personal▪ sentimental▪ selfish▪ professional▪ commercial, economic, financial, legal, political, social, technical▪ practical, pragmatic▪ security▪ health▪ altruistic, humanitarianVERB + REASON▪ be aware of, see▪He saw many reasons to be hopeful.
▪ have▪I don't know why he did that, but I'm sure he had his reasons.
▪I have no reason to believe that she was lying to me.
▪ cite, give (sb/sth), outline, provide, set out, state▪Give me one good reason why I should help you.
▪In the letter she carefully set out her reasons for leaving.
▪ list▪This article lists the most common reasons why people pay too much tax.
▪ offer, suggest▪ articulate, explain▪ cite sth as, give sth as, offer sth as▪ discuss, explore▪ understand▪ guess▪ discover, find, find out, uncover▪ pinpoint▪It's difficult to pinpoint the reasons for her success.
PREPOSITION▪ by reason of (formal)▪persons in need of care by reason of (= because of) old age
▪He was found not guilty by reason of insanity. (law)
▪ for a/the reason▪procedures carried out for reasons of national security
▪ for reason of (formal)▪For reasons of security, you are requested to keep your baggage with you at all times.
▪ with reason, without reason▪They complained about the food, and with good reason (= rightly).
▪ reason against▪There are obvious reasons against such a move.
▪ reason behind▪We are trying to uncover the reasons behind her decision.
▪ reason for▪They didn't give any reason for the delay.
PHRASES▪ all the more reason▪If he's unwell, that's all the more reason to go and see him.
▪ all sorts of reasons▪People buy things for all sorts of reasons.
▪ every reason, little reason, some reason▪I know you're angry with me, and you have every reason (= very good reasons) to be.
▪You have little reason to be pleased with yourself.
▪ no reason, not any reason▪He got angry for no reason.
▪You don't have any reason to complain.
▪ for reasons best known to yourself▪For reasons best known to herself she has turned down the offer.
▪ for some inexplicable reason, for some odd reason, for some strange reason, for some unfathomable reason▪For some odd reason, he found it really funny.
▪ for unexplained reasons, for unknown reasons▪For unknown reasons, the ship sank in the middle of the ocean.
▪ for whatever reason▪people who, for whatever reason, are unable to support themselves
▪ a number of reasons, a variety of reasons▪ rhyme or reason▪There's no rhyme or reason (= logic) to the new opening hours.
▪ not see any reason, see no reason▪We see no reason why this band shouldn't be a huge success.
▪I don't see any reason why you can't come with us.
▪ there is ample reason, there are ample reasons▪There is ample reason to be optimistic about the economy.
2 power to think logically; what is possible/rightADJECTIVE▪ humanVERB + REASON▪ lose▪He seems to have lost all sense and reason.
▪ be open to, listen to, see▪I tried to persuade her, but she just wouldn't listen to reason.
▪ defy▪Sometimes he does things that defy reason.
PREPOSITION▪ beyond reason▪He was beyond all reason.
▪ within reason▪I'll lend you the money you need—within reason, of course!
PHRASES▪ an appeal to reason▪The residents hope that an appeal to reason (= asking the rioters to be reasonable) will end the rioting.
▪ faculty of reason, sense of reason▪We possess the human faculty of reason.
▪ it stands to reason▪It stands to reason (= it is logical) that she wouldn't want them to find out about her personal problems.
▪ the voice of reason▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}She was always the voice of reason, persuading him not to buy things they couldn't afford.
verbReason is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑court
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
