reign

[reyn]

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.

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of reign¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of reign¹

C13: from Old French reigne , from Latin rēgnum kingdom, from rēx king

Example Sentences

Not a day went by without speculation as reigning champions Liverpool and last season's runners-up Arsenal were among the teams to bolster their attacking options, with Manchester United and Chelsea doing likewise.

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Indeed, outside of some second-tier honours, you had to go back 40 years to the last time the Robins reigned supreme.

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After a slow start to his reign, Tuchel is beginning to build a dynamic side.

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But the brave resistance of the Burundian Swallows finally broke when Ogam netted to lift the Kenyan Harambee Stars to third, eight points behind leaders and reigning African champions the Ivory Coast.

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All these chores, errands and responsibilities are simple to schedule on paper, but in practice, unforeseen circumstances ensure that chaos reigns.

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Related Words

• dominate 
• govern 
• hold sway www.thesaurus.com
• occupy 
• predominate