reign
Americannoun
-
reigns
plural
-
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)
-
reigns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reigned,
past participle, past
-
reigning
present participle
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
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outreignverb (used with object)
-
interreignverb (used without object)
-
nonreigningadjective
-
unreigningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
reignsimple
-
reignssimple
-
have reignedperfect
-
has reignedperfect
-
am reigningprogressive
-
are reigningprogressive
-
is reigningprogressive
-
have been reigningperfect progressive
-
has been reigningperfect progressive
Past
-
reignedsimple
-
had reignedperfect
-
was reigningprogressive
-
were reigningprogressive
-
had been reigningperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
As the doors opened, they were met with a live DJ, pre-workout nutritional shots and free reign of the equipment - with not a drop of alcohol in sight.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
But when he cast actors for “Tales” who were too young to remember Nicolae Ceaușescu’s reign, he was surprised that they didn’t see the underlying darkness beneath the film’s satiric tone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
But as endless deficits spook the bond market, we need to curtail the reign of hot checks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
No, it’s not a deep dive into Tomlin’s 19 years as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a reign that produced a Super Bowl title, zero losing seasons and a 193-114-2 overall record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He is coming here to witness the raising of his obelisk on our shores and to celebrate his third decade of reign.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
That said, if the baseball playoffs have taught us anything, it’s that randomness often reigns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Alexander Johannes Edmonds and Eckart Frahm identify three rulers who do not appear on the list but whose reigns can be reconstructed from other surviving evidence.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
But the poll noted that Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, had higher favorability ratings among American Catholics during the same time in their respective reigns — 90% to Leo’s 75%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
In an era when divisiveness reigns and everything seems to be designed to keep us at each other’s throats, Byrd makes camaraderie look as simple as it is.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Japan’s Emperor Akihito, who reigns today, is the 82nd direct descendant of the emperor under whom that first chronicle of A.D.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Clarke earned four Emmy nominations during “Game of Thrones’” run for portraying Daenerys Targaryen, one of the last surviving members of the family that long reigned over Westeros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Activists had expressed concerns that despite the tough laws, lawbreakers were not being reigned in.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Although Skyrizi and Rinvoq lead the portfolio today, the segment was previously anchored by Humira—an anti-inflammatory drug that reigned as the industry’s most valuable medicine for half a decade.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
The result, she said, is that “the days when dad books reigned supreme are gone.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Torches flickered and died until darkness reigned both within Elsinore and without.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Next up for Wales is Samoa on Friday, a game which on paper serves as their best chance at picking up a result, having also been drawn in Pool A alongside reigning world champions Australia.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
England, ranked third in the world, will then take on reigning champions Australia and Samoa as they attempt to reach the last four for a fifth time.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Dodgers showed signs of life during Game 3 of the NLCS, but Bill Plaschke writes the reigning champs can’t survive their crushing collapse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The company will change its name to MSG Knickerbockers Corp., which will span both the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks and the Westchester Knicks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Ah, Janelle Monáe, the reigning queen of blerdom.”
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
