have reason

English

Etymology

From have + reason, partly after Middle French avoir raison.

Verb

have reason (third-person singular simple present has reason, present participle having reason, simple past and past participle had reason)

(obsolete) To be right. [15th–18th c.]
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 56, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
  They would have no man use it as an interjection or exclamation, not to be alleaged as a witnesse or comparison, wherein I find they have reason.
To have grounds, justification etc. (to do something, or for something).
- 2008 December 12, Martin Kettle, The Guardian:
  The finance minister had reason to be exasperated. Britain's economic future hinges on Europe, and this is no time for animus.

Derived terms

have reason to believe

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.