Reich

¹ American  

[rahyk, rahykh] / raɪk, raɪx /

noun

1. (with reference to Germany) empire; realm; nation.

2. the German state, especially during the Nazi period.

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Reich ² American  

[rahykh] / raɪx /

noun

1. Stephen Michael Steve, born 1936, U.S. composer.

2. Wilhelm 1897–1957, Austrian psychoanalyst in the U.S.

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Reich ¹ British  

/ raɪk, raiç /

noun

1. the Holy Roman Empire ( First Reich )

2. the Hohenzollern empire from 1871 to 1919 ( Second Reich )

3. the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933

4. the Nazi dictatorship from 1933 to 1945 ( Third Reich )

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Reich ² British  

/ raiç, raɪk /

noun

1. Steve . born 1936, US composer, whose works are characterized by the repetition and modification of small rhythmic motifs. His works include Drumming (1971), The Desert Music (1984), and City Life (1995)

2. Wilhelm (ˈvɪlhɛlm). 1897–1957, Austrian psychologist, lived in the US. An ardent socialist and advocate of sexual freedom, he proclaimed a cosmic unity of all energy and built a machine (the orgone accumulator) to concentrate this energy on human beings. His books include The Function of the Orgasm (1927)

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Etymology

Origin of Reich

1920–25; < German: kingdom

Example Sentences

By the time Hitler's Third Reich was defeated in 1945, more than one in 10 had joined the Nazi party.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

This work became part of a larger project, led by Professor David Reich and Dr Iñigo Olalde at Harvard University, involving geneticists and archaeologists from across western Europe.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

Andrew Clements, longtime music critic for the Guardian, named Mr. Reich as one of “a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

That the agency has been “treated like crap is an insult to generations of hardworking DOL employees, to American workers, to America,” Reich wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

But though the Nazi government of Hitler’s Third Reich was clearly going to have to admit defeat pretty soon, they didn’t give up easily.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein