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noun cause/motive/justification; explanation of sth ADJ. 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 | chief, main, major, primary, principal | only, simple, sole The only reason I didn't become a professional golfer was because of my family commitments. I was never good at playing the trumpet for the simple reason that I never practised. | 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. | very There is an assumption that a state will protect its citizens. That is the very reason for the existence of states. | 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 | understandable | justifiable | inexplicable, unexplained, unknown For some unexplained reason the pilot jettisoned all his fuel shortly after take-off. | unspecified | unconnected dismissal for reasons unconnected with redundancy | personal | sentimental | selfish | professional | commercial, economic, financial, legal, political, social, technical | practical, pragmatic | security | health | humanitarian VERB + REASON be aware of, see We see no reason why this band shouldn't be a huge success. | 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), set out, state Give me one good reason why I should help you. In the letter she carefully set out her reasons for leaving. | cite sth as, give sth as | suggest | explain | understand | uncover PREP. by ~ of (formal) persons in need of care by reason of (= because of) old age | for a/the ~ procedures carried out for reasons of national security | for ~ of (formal) For reasons of security, you are requested to keep your luggage with you at all times. | with/without ~ They complained about the food, and with good reason (= rightly). | ~ against There are obvious reasons against such a move. | ~ behind We are trying to uncover the reasons behind her decision. | ~ 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. | any/every/little/no/one/some reason I know you're angry with me, and you have every reason (= very good reasons) to be. | for reasons best known to yourself For reasons best known to herself she has turned down the offer. | for whatever reason people who, for whatever reason, are unable to support themselves | a number/variety of reasons, rhyme or reason There's no rhyme or reason (= logic) to the new opening hours. power to think logically; what is possible/right ADJ. human VERB + 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. PREP. beyond ~ He was beyond all reason. | within ~ 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. | 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 She was always the voice of reason, persuading him not to buy things they couldn't afford.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
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general::
reason
verbs
have a reason
• We had many reasons to celebrate.
give a reason
• No reason was given for the change.
think of a reason/see a reason
• I see no reason why it shouldn’t work. • I can’t think of any reason why she would want to leave.
explain the reasons for something
• Explain the reasons for your choice.
adjectives
a good reason
• There is usually a good reason why the price is so cheap.
the main reason
• The main reason for the decline in the railways is lack of investment.
a major reason
( also a big reason informal )
• His personality was a major reason for his success. • A big reason for the decrease in smoking is the ban on cigarette advertising.
the real reason
• What do you think was the real reason for their decision?
a valid/legitimate reason
(= a good and acceptable reason )
• An employer can’t fire someone without a valid reason.
a compelling reason
(= a very good reason for doing something )
• There are compelling reasons to believe that this is true.
a simple reason
(= one that is easy to understand )
• I hate mobile phones, for the simple reason that it is now impossible to get away from them.
a logical reason
• People don’t always have logical reasons for the things they do.
the only reason
• The only reason he’s coming tonight is that I said you’d be here.
phrases
for legal/political/medical etc reasons
• The boy cannot be named for legal reasons.
for security reasons
• The road will be closed for security reasons.
for personal reasons
• He resigned for personal reasons.
for sentimental reasons
(= because you like someone or something very much )
• I wanted to keep the picture for sentimental reasons.
for obvious reasons
• This arrangement must be kept secret, for obvious reasons.
for no apparent reason
(= for no obvious reason )
• He tried to kill me for no apparent reason.
for some reason (or other)
( also for some unknown reason ) (= for a reason that you do not know )
• For some reason she felt like crying. • For some unknown reason, the curtains were always drawn.
for reasons best known to somebody
(= used when you do not understand someone’s behaviour )
• For reasons best known to herself, she decided to sell the house.
have your reasons
(= have a secret reason for doing something )
transnet.ir
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general::
reason
why something happens, or why someone does something:
• What was the reason for the delay? • I don’t know the reason why he left his last job.
explanation
a set of reasons that helps you to understand why something happens, especially when it seems difficult to understand:
• There are various possible explanations for climate change. • Is there any explanation for his behavior?
motive
a reason that makes someone decide to do something – often used about crimes:
• Police say that there is no obvious motive for the attack.
justification
a good reason for doing something that seems wrong:
• There is never any justification for torture or abuse. • They try to use the situation in the Middle East as a justification for killing innocent civilians. • There’s no justification for this type of behaviour.
grounds
a reason that makes it right or fair to do something, especially according to legal, official, or moral rules:
• The court will decide if she has grounds for divorce. • They claim the war is justified on moral grounds (= because of moral reasons ) .
basis
the main ideas or reasons on which something is based:
• The doctor makes his decisions purely on the basis of clinical observation. • What do you think is the basis for this advice?
rationale
formal a set of reasons that are used to explain why someone does something in a particular way:
• the rationale behind the government’s economic reforms • This chapter explains the nature of yearly plans, and provides a rationale for their use.
a reason that does not seem believable
excuse
a reason that you give to explain why you have done something bad, or not done something that you should have done – especially one that is not completely true:
• She said she couldn’t come because she had to work late, but it was just an excuse. • a feeble excuse (= one that is hard to believe )
pretext
especially written an untrue reason that you give for doing or not doing something, in order to hide the real reason:
• He would often find some pretext to go out in the evening alone. • They used this as a pretext for taking military action.
Longman-Thesaurus