rein
Americannoun
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reins
plural
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Often a leather strap, fastened to each end of the bit of a bridle, by which the rider or driver controls a horse or other animal by pulling so as to exert pressure on the bit.
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any of certain other straps or thongs forming part of a harness, as a checkrein.
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any means of curbing, controlling, or directing; check; restraint.
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reins, the controlling or directing power.
the reins of government.
verb (used with object)
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reins,
present (3rd person singular)
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reined,
past participle, past
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reining
present participle
verb (used without object)
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reins,
present (3rd person singular)
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reined,
past participle, past
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reining
present participle
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to obey the reins.
a horse that reins well.
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to rein a horse or other animal.
idioms
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give rein to, to give complete freedom to; indulge freely: Also give free rein to, give full rein to.
to give rein to one's imagination.
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draw rein, to curtail one's speed or progress; halt.
The rider saw the snake and drew rein sharply.
noun
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(often plural) one of a pair of long straps, usually connected together and made of leather, used to control a horse, running from the side of the bit or the headstall to the hand of the rider, driver, or trainer
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a similar device used to control a very young child
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any form or means of control
to take up the reins of government
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the direction in which a rider turns (in phrases such as on a left ( or right ) rein , change the rein )
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something that restrains, controls, or guides
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to allow considerable freedom; remove restraints
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to control carefully; limit
we have to keep a tight rein on expenditure
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with the reins held loosely so that the horse is relatively unconstrained
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to take up the reins so that the distance between hand and bit is lessened, in order that the horse may be more collected
verb
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(tr) to check, restrain, hold back, or halt with or as if with reins
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to control or guide (a horse) with a rein or reins
they reined left
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reinsimple
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reinssimple
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have reinedperfect
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has reinedperfect
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am reiningprogressive
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are reiningprogressive
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is reiningprogressive
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have been reiningperfect progressive
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has been reiningperfect progressive
Past
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reinedsimple
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had reinedperfect
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was reiningprogressive
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were reiningprogressive
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had been reiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rein
1300–50; (noun) Middle English rene, reine, raine < Old French re ( s ) ne < Vulgar Latin *retina, noun derivative of Latin retinēre to hold back, retain; (v.) Middle English rainen, reinen, derivative of the noun
Explanation
Rein is both a noun and a verb for guiding and restraining. You can use the long strap, or rein, on a horse to control its speed and direction, and you can rein in your own tongue by closing your mouth. Rein rhymes with rain but the two words describe very different things. Rain comes down all over the place, uncontrolled, while a rein holds things in place or controls what comes out. As a noun, rein is often used as a plural word "reins" when talking about actual leather restraints used in horse riding, but a rein also is something non-physical like when you put a rein on spending by shopping less.
Vocabulary lists containing rein
30 GRE Words Beginning with "Q" "R" and "S"
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Obstacle Course Vocabulary
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The Sound and the Fury
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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:
It isn’t yet entirely clear who regulates prediction markets and how, and markets have regularly clashed with state officials trying to rein them in.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Since then, there have been several efforts by California lawmakers to rein in AI-generated advertising.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
In Calarasi, many people blame politicians across the political spectrum for failing to rein in inflation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
For months, MLB owners have remained steadfast in their desire to implement a salary cap in collective bargaining this offseason, in part to rein in the Dodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
His bosses give him little free rein; he has to fight to sell what he is most passionate about, the Impressionists.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
His tenure as CEO ended in mid-March when he handed the reins to Josh D’Amaro, the charismatic parks chief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Okuda took the reins of the struggling firm in 1995 as the first person from outside the founding family in decades, and pushed innovative products such as the RAV4 and Prius.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
And the company has put some of its massive cash hoard to work, for the first time since Abel took the reins.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
Burnham is taking the reins amid global "turmoil", or so says the Sun, which writes that chaos is "already engulfing the crucial issue of oil and gas drilling".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
He was up on the board again with the reins in his hand.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
The winter resort of Trojena in the mountains of the north west has also been reined in.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
You reined in your spending, but many people have trouble making their rent and paying for food and transportation without exceeding their income.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
Charlie Collier, president of Roku Media, and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Dan Jedda, who joined in 2022 and 2023, respectively, have reined in wasteful spending and shifted toward areas with bigger returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
Over the past year, demand for healthcare workers has quietly propped up the labor market as other sectors reined in hiring or even shed jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Holly reined in the throttle and descended to ninety yards.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
There were signs that some consumers were reining in spending after years of inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We spend a lot of time, you know, reining in clients and just being cautious.”
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
The backdrop of turmoil in the Gulf and a global bond market rout has led to a reining in of Burnham's plans for reform in this area at this time.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Roy, for her part, would invite City Controller Kenneth Mejia to conduct a “liability audit” of the city attorney’s office, to find ways of reining in payouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
“Now from the perspective of Aeolus,” said Reverend Buckminster, and Turner was in the gloomy cavern of the king of the Winds, reining back the storms until he could unleash them at Juno’s will.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
