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 reason that something is true, you decide that it is true after thinking carefully about all the facts. □ [V that] I reasoned that changing my diet would lower my cholesterol level. □ [V with quote] 'Listen,' I reasoned, 'it doesn't take a genius to figure out what Adam's up to.'
5 → see also reasoned , reasoning
6 PHRASE If one thing happens by reason of another, it happens because of it. [FORMAL ] □ The boss retains enormous influence by reason of his position.
7 PHRASE If you try to make someone listen to reason , you try to persuade them to listen to sensible arguments and be influenced by them. □ The company's top executives had refused to listen to reason.
8 PHRASE 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. □ The guards, he said, would punch them for no reason. □ For no reason at all the two men started to laugh.
9 PHRASE 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. □ Chloe is my reason for living.
10 PHRASE 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. [VAGUENESS ] □ For some inexplicable reason she was attracted to Patrick.
11 PHRASE 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. □ I will take any job that comes along, within reason.
12 rhyme or reason → see rhyme
13 to see reason → see see
14 it stands to reason → see 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. □ [V P n] I have watched parents trying to reason with their children and have never seen it work.
rea|son|able ◆◇◇ /riː zənəb ə l/
1 ADJ If you think that someone is fair and sensible you can say that they are reasonable . □ He's a reasonable sort of chap. □ Oh, come on, be reasonable. ● rea|son|ably /riː zənəbli/ ADV □ 'I'm sorry, Andrew,' she said reasonably. ● rea|son|able|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ 'I can understand how you feel,' Desmond said with great reasonableness.
2 ADJ If you say that a decision or action is reasonable , you mean that it is fair and sensible. □ …a perfectly reasonable decision. □ At the time, what he'd done had seemed reasonable.
3 ADJ If you say that an expectation or explanation is reasonable , you mean that there are good reasons why it may be correct. □ It seems reasonable to expect rapid urban growth. ● rea|son|ably ADV [ADV with v] □ You can reasonably expect your goods to arrive within six to eight weeks.
4 ADJ If you say that the price of something is reasonable , you mean that it is fair and not too high. □ You get an interesting meal for a reasonable price. ● rea|son|ably ADV [ADV with v] □ …reasonably priced accommodation.
5 ADJ You can use reasonable to describe something that is fairly good, but not very good. □ The boy answered him in reasonable French. ● rea|son|ably ADV [ADV adj/adv] □ I can dance reasonably well.
6 ADJ A reasonable amount of something is a fairly large amount of it. □ They will need a reasonable amount of desk area and good light. ● rea|son|ably ADV [ADV adj/adv] □ From now on events moved reasonably quickly. SYNONYMS reasonable ADJ
1
sensible: Oh come on, let's be sensible about this.
reasoned: This is an issue which produces little reasoned argument.
rationaclass="underline" He's asking you to look at both sides of the case and come to a rational decision.
2
fair: It didn't seem fair to leave out her father.
just: Was Pollard's life sentence just or was it too severe?
acceptable: The air pollution exceeds most acceptable levels by 10 times or more.
rea|soned /riː z ə nd/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A reasoned discussion or argument is based on sensible reasons, rather than on an appeal to people's emotions. [APPROVAL ] □ Abortion is an issue which produces little reasoned argument.
rea|son|ing /riː zən I ŋ/ (reasonings ) N‑VAR Reasoning is the process by which you reach a conclusion after thinking about all the facts. □ …the reasoning behind the decision.
re|as|sem|ble /riː əse mb ə l/ (reassembles , reassembling , reassembled )
1 VERB If you reassemble something, you put it back together after it has been taken apart. □ [V n] We will now try to reassemble pieces of the wreckage.
2 VERB If a group of people reassembles or if you reassemble them, they gather together again in a group. □ [V ] We shall reassemble in the car park in thirty minutes. □ [V n] Mr Lucas reassembled his team in September.