reign
Americannoun
-
the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
-
royal rule or authority; sovereignty.
- Synonyms:
- suzerainty, dominion
-
dominating power or influence.
the reign of law.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
the period during which a monarch is the official ruler of a country
-
a period during which a person or thing is dominant, influential, or powerful
the reign of violence is over
verb
-
to exercise the power and authority of a sovereign
-
to be accorded the rank and title of a sovereign without having ruling authority, as in a constitutional monarchy
-
to predominate; prevail
a land where darkness reigns
-
(usually present participle) to be the most recent winner of a competition, contest, etc
the reigning heavyweight champion
Usage
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
interreignverb (used without object)
-
unreigningadjective
-
outreignverb (used with object)
-
nonreigningadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have reignedperfect
-
has reignedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is reigningprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am reigningprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been reigningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
reigningparticiple
-
have been reigningperfect progressive
-
are reigningprogressive
-
reignssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had reignedperfect
-
had been reigningperfect progressive
-
was reigningprogressive singular
-
reignedsimple
-
reignedparticiple
-
were reigningprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of reign
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
Explanation
Rain falls from above, and people who reign rule from a position above others. They reign over countries and governments, and even over businesses and arts, as in "She used to reign over punk music, always topping the charts." While reign is a verb when it refers to the actions of a person or group of people, the period of time when they reign is also called a reign, as a noun: "His reign over the rodeo circuit ended when he was tackled by a bull named Princess-Maker." Sometimes a stretch of time is called a reign, even without regard to who was the leader, as in a "reign of peace," or a period of time without war and conflict, in a place or government.
Vocabulary lists containing reign
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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.
His company, SoftBank Group 9984 -8.06%decrease; red down pointing triangle , on Monday became Japan’s most valuable, ending Toyota’s 23-year reign.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Whether McCall's long reign extends to another weekend will be decided by the result.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The emails were given to the Palace during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. There has been a tougher approach to Mountbatten-Windsor under the reign of King Charles, including taking away his titles.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
According to the footage, what awaits Rhaenyra during her reign are fearful subjects, conniving enemies, sleepless nights and plenty of anguish.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
“If perfection were possible, which type would reign? Moral perfection? Mental perfection? Would the smarter man win, or the stronger? The dark-skinned or light-skinned? Would the winner be the most beautiful?”
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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.
