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Definition of reason : 1. A thought or a consideration offered in support of a determination or an opinion; a just ground for a conclusion or an action; that which is offered or accepted as an explanation; the efficient cause of an occurrence or a phenomenon; a motive for an action or a determination; proof, more or less decisive, for an opinion or a conclusion; principle; efficient cause; final cause; ground of argument.
2. Hence: To carry on a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince or to confute; to formulate and set forth propositions and the inferences from them; to argue.
3. Ratio; proportion.
4. The faculty or capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished from the intelligence of the inferior animals; the higher as distinguished from the lower cognitive faculties, sense, imagination, and memory, and in contrast to the feelings and desires. Reason comprises conception, judgment, reasoning, and the intuitional faculty. Specifically, it is the intuitional faculty, or the faculty of first truths, as distinguished from the understanding, which is called the discursive or ratiocinative faculty.
5. To arrange and present the reasons for or against; to examine or discuss by arguments; to debate or discuss; as, I reasoned the matter with my friend.
6. To converse; to compare opinions.
7. To exercise the rational faculty; to deduce inferences from premises; to perform the process of deduction or of induction; to ratiocinate; to reach conclusions by a systematic comparison of facts.
8. To find by logical processes; to explain or justify by reason or argument; - usually with out; as, to reason out the causes of the librations of the moon.
9. To overcome or conquer by adducing reasons; - with down; as, to reason down a passion.
10. To persuade by reasoning or argument; as, to reason one into a belief; to reason one out of his plan.
11. To support with reasons, as a request.

Synonyms:

origin, evidence, smarts, wit, headpiece, background, causality, wherefore, contend, intuition, dry land, intellectuality, judgment, point, speculation, start, explain, reasonableness, causal agent, intellectual, sane, on account of, curtilage, agent, purpose, warrant, goal, crusade, drive, in justification of something, argumentation, for, tenableness, plan, apprehension, don't remind me, accounting, effort, rationalism, saneness, design, modestness, resolve, ground, lawsuit, rationalness, originator, practical, call, terra firma, intention, intent, don't ask, tenability, rational, primer, actor, grounded, undercoat, think out, argue, keep it simple, account, fence, occasion, indicate, necessity, discernment, precedent, yard, idea, close, balanced, take a long hard look at someone/something, sympathy, motivation, subject, fountain, case, source, primer coat, sense, motive, vision, savvy, former, reason out, solid ground, campaign, mature, wisdom, assess, creator, pragmatic, apology, it's a long story, clear-headed, think over, cause, agreement, skip it, by way of, flat coat, land, because, defense, daylights, movement, designer, common sense, object, head, gray matter, root, sanity, priming, soil, take something into consideration, suit, causa, intellection, impetus, earth, argument, lucidness, brainpower, moderateness, grounds, causal agency, realistic, marble, condition, priming coat, explanation, aim, proof, clarity, marbles, acumen, sensible, brilliance, logical, authority, why, ratiocination, end, incentive, true, lucidity, power, spring, foundation, conclude, causation, rationalization, basis, antecedent, footing, soundness, author, perish the thought

comprehension, reasoning, brain, intellect, intelligence, capacity, understanding, cerebration, rationality, mentality, mind, brain-power

inference, thought, brain work, deduce, induct, analyze, induction, thinking, synthesize, cogitation, logic, cogitate, infer, deduction, conceptualize, think, conceptualization, analysis, synthesis

contemplate, evaluate, meditate, calculate, deliberate, weigh, ponder, cerebrate, brood, imagine, study, concentrate, daydream, appraise, consider, reflect, muse, speculate, envision, debate

pretext, rationale, affirmation, claim, plea, alibi, pretense, loop-hole, excuse, smoke screen, justification, stratagem, white lie, red herring

Usage examples:

• What's the reason I can't go?" - "The Landlord at Lion's Head, Complete", William Dean Howells Last Updated: February 27, 2009.
• I will reason with him." - "A Tale of a Lonely Parish", F. Marion Crawford.
• The reason she had so many children was because she was poor. - "Little Mr. Thimblefinger and His Queer Country", Joel Chandler Harris.