reign

American  

[reyn] / reɪn /

noun

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

2. royal rule or authority; sovereignty.

   Synonyms:

   suzerainty, dominion

3. dominating power or influence.

   the reign of law.

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verb (used without object)

1. to possess or exercise sovereign power or authority.

   Synonyms:

   prevail, govern, rule

   Antonyms:

   obey

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

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

4. to predominate; be prevalent.

reign British  

/ 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

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verb

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

3. to predominate; prevail

   a land where darkness reigns

4. (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

• interreign verb (used without object)
• nonreigning adjective
• outreign verb (used with object)
• unreigning adjective

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

Example Sentences

“This show is such a great opportunity to begin my career in this genre — now, I want to continue my reign of terror.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Dyche never won over the players in his 144-day reign, leading Marinakis to recruit ex-Wolves boss Pereira in February, having worked with him at Olympiacos.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Severus sponsored public building projects throughout the empire: Many of the most impressive surviving Roman remains—not least the Severan forum and basilica in his home city of Leptis Magna—date from his reign.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The English king was criticized for spending most of his reign abroad while bleeding the country dry via the Saladin Tithe and plunging its people into poverty.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

"When they write the history of my reign, sweat sister, they will say that it began tonight."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• dominate
• govern
• hold sway
• occupy
• predominate