reign

[ reyn ]
See synonyms for: reignreigning on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.

  2. royal rule or authority;sovereignty.

  1. dominating power or influence: the reign of law.

verb (used without object)
  1. to possess or exercise sovereign power or authority.

  2. to hold the position and name of sovereign without exercising the ruling power.

  1. to have control, rule, or influence of any kind.

  2. to predominate; be prevalent.

Origin of reign

1
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English noun reine, regne, from Old French reigne, from Latin regnum “realm, reign,” derivative of reg- (stem of rēx ) “king”; Middle English verb reinen, regnen, from Old French reignier, from Latin regnāre, derivative of regnum

Other words for reign

Opposites for reign

Other words from reign

  • in·ter·reign, verb (used without object)
  • non·reign·ing, adjective
  • outreign, verb (used with object)
  • un·reign·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with reign

Words Nearby reign

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How to use reign in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reign

reign

/ (reɪn) /


noun
  1. the period during which a monarch is the official ruler of a country

  2. a period during which a person or thing is dominant, influential, or powerful: the reign of violence is over

verb(intr)
  1. to exercise the power and authority of a sovereign

  2. to be accorded the rank and title of a sovereign without having ruling authority, as in a constitutional monarchy

  1. to predominate; prevail: a land where darkness reigns

  2. (usually present participle) to be the most recent winner of a competition, contest, etc: the reigning heavyweight champion

Origin of reign

1
C13: from Old French reigne, from Latin rēgnum kingdom, from rēx king

usage For reign

Reign is sometimes wrongly written for rein in certain phrases: he gave full rein (not reign) to his feelings; it will be necessary to rein in (not reign in) public spending

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012