rein
any means of curbing, controlling, or directing; check; restraint.
reins, the controlling or directing power: the reins of government.
to check or guide (a horse or other animal) by exerting pressure on a bridle bit by means of the reins.
to curb; restrain; control.
to obey the reins: a horse that reins well.
to rein a horse or other animal.
Idioms about rein
draw rein, to curtail one's speed or progress; halt: The rider saw the snake and drew rein sharply.
give rein to, to give complete freedom to; indulge freely: to give rein to one's imagination.: Also give free rein to, give full rein to.
Origin of rein
1Other words for rein
Other words from rein
- reinless, adjective
- un·reined, adjective
Words that may be confused with rein
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rein in a sentence
The move, announced at Bed Bath & Beyond’s analyst day last month, is just one of a number of radical steps taken by the CEO since he took the reins a year ago Wednesday.
How Bed Bath & Beyond’s CEO tamed its trademark coupons—and turned the retailer around | Phil Wahba | November 10, 2020 | FortuneLululemon CEO Calvin McDonald dismisses any suggestion that this initiative, in the works since before he took the reins two years ago, can be written off as marketing or corporate virtue signaling.
Lululemon announces expanded size range and sustainable fabrics in new good citizenship push | Phil Wahba | October 28, 2020 | FortuneAdvertisers enter several variations of titles and descriptions and hand over the reins to Google algorithms to assemble the winning combinations.
Google Ads turns 20: The most important trends and changes of the past 5 years | Ginny Marvin | October 23, 2020 | Search Engine LandSo in June, Tomé took off her gardening gloves and took the reins of the storied delivery company.
The holidays used to be UPS’s busiest time. Then came COVID-19 | Aaron Pressman | October 19, 2020 | FortuneBusinesses may be looking forward to a very conservative Supreme Court that gives them free rein.
Why a very conservative Supreme Court will be bad for business | matthewheimer | October 13, 2020 | Fortune
Like his old man, he keeps it reined in, but when talking about fishing, a true regret seeps out.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTSalama al Sersawi leans on a bench, waiting to get his mound of matted hair reined in.
The Gaza Paradox: Hamas Has Little Support, but the War Has a Lot | Jesse Rosenfeld | August 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd both strategies have been reined in by the new police commissioner, William Bratton.
NYPD Will Continue Spying in the Muslim Community With Undercovers, Informants | Michael Daly | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWinkelmann reined in Minky and pals so we could stretch our legs near “Old Bettles.”
Visiting the Arctic Circle…Before It’s Irreversibly Changed | Terry Greene Sterling | April 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMost important, we now know that street violence is not inevitable—it can be reined in.
Chicago Murder Rate Surges as New York’s Drops to Record Low | John Avlon | July 2, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTMalcolm reined up, and soon a British officer appeared round a bend in the road.
The Red Year | Louis TracyA moment later the road led up a hill-side, and at the summit she caught his bridle and reined in.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonI reined up my horse in wonderment and stared at him, and he came close to my side, so that I could see him plainly.
A Prince of Cornwall | Charles W. WhistlerAs the knight vanished in a cloud of dust, Iftikhar reined in his good bay, and turned to Longsword.
God Wills It! | William Stearns DavisShe came near shrieking—so startled was she—as a horseman reined up at the window.
Alone | Marion Harland
British Dictionary definitions for rein
/ (reɪn) /
(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
a similar device used to control a very young child
any form or means of control: to take up the reins of government
the direction in which a rider turns (in phrases such as on a left (or right) rein, change the rein)
something that restrains, controls, or guides
give free rein or give a free rein to allow considerable freedom; remove restraints
keep a tight rein on to control carefully; limit: we have to keep a tight rein on expenditure
on a long rein with the reins held loosely so that the horse is relatively unconstrained
shorten the reins to take up the reins so that the distance between hand and bit is lessened, in order that the horse may be more collected
(tr) to check, restrain, hold back, or halt with or as if with reins
to control or guide (a horse) with a rein or reins: they reined left
Origin of rein
1rein
- See also rein in
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with rein
see draw in the reins; free hand (rein) tight rein on.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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