stand to reason

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

rea•son /ˈrizən/   n. 

1. a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, or event:
   [countable] a good reason for declaring war.
2. [countable] a statement presented in explaining a belief or action.
3. the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions and judgments:
   [uncountable] Animals do not possess reason.
4. sound judgment;
   good sense:
   [uncountable] won't listen to reason.

v. 

5. to think or argue in a logical manner: [no object]
   Animals cannot reason.
   [~ + object]
   didn't reason things out.
6. to form conclusions or judgments from facts:
   [~ + (that) clause] I reasoned that he must have fallen and hit his head.

Idioms

7. Idioms by reason of, on account of;
   because of.
8. Idioms in or within reason, within reasonable limits:
   We'll pay if the cost is within reason.
9. Idioms with reason, with ample justification:
   She doesn't like me, and with reason.

rea•son•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

stand /stænd/   v., stood/stʊd/  stand•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to be in an upright position on the feet:
   [no object] standing by the door when I came in.
2. to (cause someone to) rise to one's feet: [no object; ~ (+ up)]
   We stood (up) when the president entered the room.
   [~ + object + up]
   stood the toddler back up after she fell.
3. to have a certain height when in this position:
   [not: be + -ing* ~ + a noun showing measurement] He stands six feet tall.
4. to remain the same, esp. unused:
   [no object] The bicycle has stood in the garage all winter.
5. to take a position as indicated:
   [no object] to stand aside.
6. (of things) to (cause to) rest in an upright position: [no object]
   The broom stood in the corner.
   [~ + object]
   He stood the broom in the corner.
7. to be located or situated:
   [no object] The building stands upon the hill.
8. (of a score, etc.) to remain as indicated:
   [usually: not: be + ~-ing* ~ (+ at) + a noun indicating number or amount] The score stands (at) 18 to 14.
9. to continue in force;
   remain valid:
   [no object] My offer still stands.
10. to be or remain in a specified state or condition: [no object]
    Where do I stand in the competition?
    [~ + adjective]
    I stand corrected.
    [~ + to + verb]
    He stands to gain quite a lot from his wife's death.
11. British Terms [Chiefly Brit.] to be a candidate, as for public office:
    [~ + for + object] to stand for Parliament.
12. to submit to;
    be forced to go through:
    [~ + object] to stand trial for murder.
13. to be able to tolerate;
    resist;
    endure:
    [~ + object] My eyes can't stand the glare.
14. to perform one's job or duty as:
    [~ + object] to stand watch aboard ship; He stood guard over the prisoners.
15. stand by:
    • [~ + by + object] to uphold;
      support:
      Stand by your parents in their time of need.
    • [~ + by + object] to remain firm about (something);
      be loyal to:
      I stand by my original statement.
    • [no object] to wait, esp. in anticipation:
      Please stand by, we're having technical difficulties.
    • [no object] to be ready to board (an airplane, etc.) as an alternate passenger.
16. stand down, [no object]
    • Law to leave the witness stand:
      The judge told the witness to stand down.
    • to step aside, as from a competition.
17. stand for, [~ + for + object]
    • [not: be + ~-ing] to represent;
      symbolize:
      P.S. stands for "postscript.''
    • to advocate;
      favor:
      The candidate says she stands for more aid to education.
    • [with negative words or phrases] to tolerate;
      allow;
      accept or put up with:
      "I won't stand for any nonsense,'' the teacher said.
18. stand in, [no object*  (~ + in + for + object) ] to be a substitute (for):
    No, I'm not the supervisor, I'm just standing in (for her) until she comes back.
19. stand off:
    • [no object] to keep or stay at a distance:
      The planes stood off and circled overhead.
    • to repel or evade: [~ + off + object]
      Our troops stood off the latest assault.
      [~ + object + off]
      As for their army, our troops stood them off last time, too.
20. stand on, [~ + on + object] to be based on;
    depend on;
    rest on:
    The house stood on sand.
21. stand out, [no object]
    • to stick out past something:
      The pier stands out from the harbor walls.
    • to be noticed easily, on account of fame, etc.:
      She stands out in a crowd.
22. stand up:
    • [no object] to be or remain convincing:
      That evidence won't stand up in court.
    • [no object] to last long;
      be durable:
      Wool stands up better than silk.
    • to fail to keep an appointment with: [~ + up + object]
      She stood up several of my friends.
      [~ + object + up]
      She stood him up on their last two dates.
23. stand up for, [~ + up + for + object]
    • to defend;
      support:
      You have to stand up for your children.
24. stand up to, [~ + up + to + object] to meet (danger, difficulty, etc.) without fear;
    confront:
    If you stand up to that bully, he'll back down.

n. [countable]

25. the act of standing.
26. a halt or stop.
27. a final defensive effort:
    Custer's last stand.
28. a policy, position, opinion, etc., with respect to a (usually controversial) issue:
    We must take a stand on sex education.
29. Law witness stand:
    Before you take the stand I must remind you that you are still under oath.
30. a raised platform, as for a speaker, a band, etc.
31. stands, [plural] a raised section of seats for spectators;
    grandstand.
32. a framework on or in which articles are placed for storing, support, or display:
    an umbrella stand.
33. a stall, booth, or the like where articles are displayed for sale:
    a fruit stand.
34. a place to wait for taxis:
    a taxi stand.
35. a stop on the tour of a theater company, a rock group, etc., esp. for a single performance:
    a one-night stand in the small university town.

Idioms

36. Idioms stand to reason, [not: be + ~-ing* it + ~ + to reason] to be logical or reasonable:
    It stands to reason that he'll choose her; he always makes the right choice.

stand•er, n. [countable] See -stan-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

rea•son  (rē′zən), n. 

1. a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event, etc.:
   the reason for declaring war.
2. a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action.
3. the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.
4. sound judgment;
   good sense.
5. normal or sound powers of mind;
   sanity.
6. Philosophy [Logic.] a premise of an argument.
7. Philosophy
   • the faculty or power of acquiring intellectual knowledge, either by direct understanding of first principles or by argument.
   • the power of intelligent and dispassionate thought, or of conduct influenced by such thought.
   • [Kantianism.] the faculty by which the ideas of pure reason are created.
8. bring (someone) to reason, to induce a change of opinion in (someone) through presentation of arguments;
   convince:
   The mother tried to bring her rebellious daughter to reason.
9. by reason of, on account of;
   because of:
   He was consulted about the problem by reason of his long experience.
10. in or within reason, in accord with reason;
    justifiable;
    proper:
    She tried to keep her demands in reason.
11. stand to reason, to be clear, obvious, or logical:
    With such an upbringing it stands to reason that the child will be spoiled.
12. with reason, with justification;
    properly:
    The government is concerned about the latest crisis, and with reason.

v.i. 

13. to think or argue in a logical manner.
14. to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises.
15. to urge reasons which should determine belief or action.

v.t. 

16. to think through logically, as a problem (often fol. by out).
17. to conclude or infer.
18. to convince, persuade, etc., by reasoning.
19. to support with reasons.

• Latin ratiōn- (stem of ratiō) ratio
• Old French reisun, reson
• Middle English resoun, reisun (noun, nominal) 1175–1225

rea′son•er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. purpose, end, aim, object, objective.
  Reason, cause, motive are terms for a circumstance (or circumstances) which brings about or explains certain results. A reason is an explanation of a situation or circumstance which made certain results seem possible or appropriate:
  The reason for the robbery was the victim's display of his money.
  The cause is the way in which the circumstances produce the effect, that is, make a specific action seem necessary or desirable:
  The cause was the robber's extreme need of money.
  A motive is the hope, desire, or other force which starts the action (or an action) in an attempt to produce specific results:
  The motive was to get money to buy food for his family.
• 2. excuse, rationalization.
• 3. understanding, intellect, mind, intelligence.
• 15. persuade.

Usage

The construction reason is because is criticized in a number of usage guides:
The reason for the long delays was because the costs greatly exceeded the original estimates.
One objection to this construction is based on its redundancy: the word because (literally, by cause) contains within it the meaning of reason;
thus saying the reason is because is like saying "The cause is by cause,'' which would never be said. A second objection is based on the claim that because can introduce only adverbial clauses and that reason is requires completion by a noun clause. Critics would substitute that for because in the offending construction:
The reason for the long delays in completing the project was that the costs. …
Although the objections described here are frequently raised, reason is because is still common in almost all levels of speech and occurs often in edited writing as well.
A similar charge of redundancy is made against the reason why, which is also a well-established idiom:
The reason why the bill failed to pass was the defection of three key senators.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

stand (stand),  v., stood, stand•ing, n., pl. stands for 43–63, stands, stand for 64.

v.i. 

1. (of a person) to be in an upright position on the feet.
2. to rise to one's feet (often fol. by up).
3. to have a specified height when in this position:
   a basketball player who stands six feet seven inches.
4. to stop or remain motionless or steady on the feet.
5. to take a position or place as indicated:
   to stand aside.
6. to remain firm or steadfast, as in a cause.
7. to take up or maintain a position or attitude with respect to a person, issue, or the like:
   to stand as sponsor for a person.
8. to have or adopt a certain policy, course, or attitude, as of adherence, support, opposition, or resistance:
   He stands for free trade.
9. (of things) to be in an upright or vertical position, be set on end, or rest on or as on a support.
10. to be set, placed, fixed, located, or situated:
    The building stands at 34th Street and 5th Avenue.
11. (of an account, score, etc.) to show, be, or remain as indicated;
    show the specified position of the parties concerned:
    The score stood 18 to 14 at the half.
12. to remain erect or whole;
    resist change, decay, or destruction (often fol. by up):
    The ruins still stand. The old building stood up well.
13. to continue in force or remain valid:
    The agreement stands as signed.
14. to remain still, stationary, or unused:
    The bicycle stood in the basement all winter.
15. to be or become stagnant, as water.
16. (of persons or things) to be or remain in a specified state, condition, relation, relative position, etc.:
    He stood in jeopardy of losing his license.
17. to have the possibility or likelihood:
    He stands to gain a sizable profit through the sale of the house.
18. British Terms [Chiefly Brit.] to become or be a candidate, as for public office (usually fol. by for).
19. Naval Terms [Naut.]
    • , Nautical, Naval Terms to take or hold a particular course at sea.
    • , Nautical, Naval Terms to move in a certain direction:
      to stand offshore.
20. Animal Husbandry (of a male domestic animal, esp. a stud) to be available as a sire, usually for a fee:
    Three Derby winners are now standing in Kentucky.

v.t. 

21. to cause to stand;
    set upright;
    set:
    Stand the chair by the lamp.
22. to face or encounter:
    to stand an assault.
23. to undergo or submit to:
    to stand trial.
24. to endure or undergo without harm or damage or without giving way:
    His eyes are strong enough to stand the glare.
25. British Terms to endure or tolerate:
    She can't stand her father.
26. to treat or pay for:
    I'll stand you to a drink when the manuscript is in.
27. to perform the duty of or participate in as part of one's job or duty:
    to stand watch aboard ship.
28. stand a chance or show, to have a chance or possibility, esp. of winning or surviving:
    He's a good shortstop but doesn't stand a chance of making the major leagues because he can't hit.
29. stand by:
    • to uphold;
      support:
      She stood by him whenever he was in trouble.
    • to adhere to (an agreement, promise, etc.);
      affirm:
      She stood by her decision despite her sister's arguments.
    • to stand ready;
      wait:
      Please stand by while I fix this antenna.
    • to get ready to speak, act, etc., as at the beginning of a radio or television program.
    • to be ready to board a plane, train, or other transport if accommodations become available at the last minute.
30. stand down:
    • Law to leave the witness stand.
    • to step aside;
      withdraw, as from a competition:
      I agreed to stand down so that she could run for the nomination unopposed.
    • to leave or take out of active work or service:
      to stand down some of the ships in the fleet.
31. stand for:
    • to represent;
      symbolize:
      P.S. stands for "postscript.''
    • to advocate;
      favor:
      He stands for both freedom and justice.
    • [Informal.] to tolerate;
      allow:
      I won't stand for any nonsense!
32. stand in with:
    • to be in association or conspiracy with.
    • to enjoy the favor of;
      be on friendly terms with.
33. stand off:
    • to keep or stay at a distance.
    • to put off;
      evade.
34. stand on:
    • to depend on;
      rest on:
      The case stands on his testimony.
    • to be particular about;
      demand:
      to stand on ceremony.
    • Naval Terms [Naut.] to maintain a course and speed.
35. stand out:
    • to project;
      protrude:
      The piers stand out from the harbor wall.
    • to be conspicuous or prominent:
      She stands out in a crowd.
    • to persist in opposition or resistance;
      be inflexible.
    • Naval Terms [Naut.] to maintain a course away from shore.
36. stand over:
    • to supervise very closely;
      watch constantly:
      He won't work unless someone stands over him.
    • to put aside temporarily;
      postpone:
      to let a project stand over until the following year.
37. Games stand pat. See pat ² (def. 6).
38. stand to:
    • to continue to hold;
      persist in:
      to stand to one's statement.
    • to keep at steadily:
      Stand to your rowing, men!
    • to wait in readiness;
      stand by:
      Stand to for action.
39. stand to reason. See reason (def. 11).
40. stand up:
    • to come to or remain in a standing position:
      to stand up when being introduced.
    • to remain strong, convincing, or durable:
      The case will never stand up in court. Wool stands up better than silk.
    • [Slang.] to fail to keep an appointment with (someone, esp. a sweetheart or date):
      I waited for Kim for an hour before I realized I'd been stood up.
41. stand up for:
    • to defend the cause of;
      support:
      No one could understand why he stood up for an incorrigible criminal.
    • to serve a bridegroom or bride, as best man or maid (matron) of honor.
42. stand up to, to meet or deal with fearlessly;
    confront:
    to stand up to a bully.

n. 

43. the act of standing;
    an assuming of or a remaining in an upright position.
44. a cessation of motion;
    halt or stop.
45. a determined effort for or against something, esp. a final defensive effort:
    Custer's last stand.
46. a determined policy, position, attitude, etc., taken or maintained:
    We must take a stand on political issues.
47. the place in which a person or thing stands;
    station.
48. Law See witness stand. 
49. a raised platform, as for a speaker, a band, or the like.
50. stands, a raised section of seats for spectators;
    grandstand.
51. a framework on or in which articles are placed for support, exhibition, etc.:
    a hat stand.
52. Furniture a piece of furniture of various forms, on or in which to put articles (often used in combination):
    a nightstand; a washstand.
53. Furniture a small, light table.
54. a stall, booth, counter, or the like, where articles are displayed for sale or where some business is carried on:
    a fruit stand.
55. newsstand:
    The papers usually hit the stands at 5
    a.m.
56. a site or location for business:
    After 20 years the ice-cream vendor was still at the same stand.
57. a place or station occupied by vehicles available for hire:
    a taxicab stand.
58. the vehicles occupying such a place.
59. Botany the growing trees, or those of a particular species or grade, in a given area.
60. Botany a standing growth, as of grass, wheat, etc.
61. a halt of a theatrical company on tour, to give a performance or performances:
    a series of one-night stands on the strawhat trail.
62. the town at which a touring theatrical company gives a performance.
63. hive (def. 2).
64. Metallurgy a rolling unit in a rolling mill.
65. Military [Chiefly Brit.] a complete set of arms or accoutrements for one soldier.
66. Law take the stand, to testify in a courtroom.

• bef. 900; Middle English standen (verb, verbal), Old English standan; cognate with Old Saxon standan, Middle Dutch standen, Old High German stantan, standa, standan; akin to Latin stāre to stand, sistere, Greek histánai to make stand, Sanskrit sthā to stand, Old Irish at-tá (he) is

Synonyms

• 25. abide, stomach. See bear ¹.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

stand / stænd/ verb (stands, standing, stood)(mainly intr)

1. (also tr) to be or cause to be in an erect or upright position
2. to rise to, assume, or maintain an upright position
3. (copula) to have a specified height when standing: to stand six feet
4. to be situated or located: the house stands in the square
5. to be or exist in a specified state or condition: to stand in awe of someone
6. to adopt or remain in a resolute position or attitude
7. (may take an infinitive) to be in a specified position: I stand to lose money in this venture, he stands high in the president's favour
8. to remain in force or continue in effect: whatever the difficulties, my orders stand
9. to come to a stop or halt, esp temporarily
10. (of water, etc) to collect and remain without flowing
11. (often followed by at) (of a score, account, etc) to indicate the specified position of the parties involved: the score stands at 20 to 1
12. (also tr; when intr, followed by for) to tolerate or bear: I won't stand for your nonsense any longer, I can't stand spiders
13. (transitive) to resist; survive: to stand the test of time
14. (transitive) to submit to: to stand trial
15. (often followed by for) to be or become a candidate: will he stand for Parliament?
16. to navigate in a specified direction: we were standing for Madeira when the storm broke
17. (of a gun dog) to point at game
18. to halt, esp to give action, repel attack, or disrupt an enemy advance when retreating
19. (transitive) to bear the cost of; pay for: to stand someone a drink
20. stand a chance ⇒ to have a hope or likelihood of winning, succeeding, etc
21. stand fast ⇒ to maintain one's position firmly
22. stand one's ground ⇒ to maintain a stance or position in the face of opposition
23. stand still ⇒ to remain motionless
24. (followed by for) to tolerate: I won't stand still for your threats
25. stand to reason ⇒ to conform with the dictates of reason: it stands to reason that pigs can't fly
26. stand to someone ⇒ to be useful to someone: your knowledge of English will stand to you

noun

1. the act or an instance of standing
2. an opinion, esp a resolutely held one: he took a stand on capital punishment
3. a halt or standstill
4. a place where a person or thing stands
5. a position on the floor of a shearing shed allocated to one shearer
6. the shearing equipment belonging to such a position
7. a structure, usually of wood, on which people can sit or stand
8. a frame or rack on which such articles as coats and hats may be hung
9. a small table or piece of furniture where articles may be placed or stored: a music stand
10. a supporting framework, esp for a tool or instrument
11. a stall, booth, or counter from which goods may be sold
12. a halt to give action, etc, esp one taken during a retreat and having some duration or some success
13. an extended period at the wicket by two batters
14. a growth of plants in a particular area, esp trees in a forest or a crop in a field
15. a stop made by a touring theatrical company, pop group, etc, to give a performance (esp in the phrase one-night stand)
16. (of a gun dog) the act of pointing at game

Etymology: Old English standan; related to Old Norse standa, Old High German stantan, Latin stāre to stand; see stead

ˈstander noun