raison d'etre
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"But you also knew that his raison d'etre was to sort of catch you in the off moment."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
To underscore the Ballers’ raison d’etre — a baseball team that never would abandon Oakland — Freedman and Carmel sold ownership stakes to fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2024
A concert might sound like an odd raison d’etre for visiting a foreign country, especially when fans can watch the Eras Tour from home via the documentary now streaming on Disney+.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
So they feel like it is their signature, their raison d’etre.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2023
For the social institutions of Freeland are the true and only source of our wealth; that we can use our wealth is the raison d'etre of all our machinery.
From Freeland A Social Anticipation by Theodor Hertzka
But she’s also the kind of television personality who is comfortable before the camera without being in love with it, or giving the impression that media success is her raison d’être.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Privacy A VPN’s raison d’être: encrypting your traffic to mask your internet browsing from your ISP and prevent it from throttling your connection.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
That the “The Napa Boys” won’t be everyone’s cup of tea — or in this case, goblet of wine — almost feels like this meta comedy’s raison d’être.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
BeReal’s appeal ended the second the app started pushing users to friend randos and post more than once a day, defeating its entire raison d’être.
From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2025
If all things, including gold, were equally saleable, there would be no raison d'être for money, and gold would have only the value that comes from its commodity functions.
From The Value of Money by Benjamin M. Anderson
