reign
[reyn]
- the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
- royal rule or authority; sovereignty.
- dominating power or influence: the reign of law.
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- to possess or exercise sovereign power or authority.
- to hold the position and name of sovereign without exercising the ruling power.
- to have control, rule, or influence of any kind.
- to predominate; be prevalent.
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Origin of reign
1225–75; (noun) Middle English reine, regne < Old French reigne < Latin rēgnum realm, reign, derivative of rēg- (stem of rēx) king; (v.) Middle English reinen, regnen < Old French reignier < Latin rēgnāre, derivative of rēgnum
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
4. obey.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for reigning
Contemporary Examples
The reigning queen of hip-hop treads the boards in her teen years.
The reigning Emmy champ coming off her best season yet on The Good Wife, Margulies could very well set that record, too.
Jennifer Aniston, Oscar Nominee? 5 Takeaways from the 2015 SAG Award NominationsKevin Fallon
December 10, 2014
While still relatively unknown stateside, Bellucci is a reigning vixen in France and her native Italy.
The reigning league MVP, Kevin Durant, is also set to hit the open market that summer.
2014 NBA Preview: Skinny LeBron and the Racist Ghost of Donald SterlingRobert Silverman
October 27, 2014
Take for example, the reaction of Keith Olbermann, the reigning scold of sportslandia.
Historical Examples
In this the Man of Taste is obviously following the reigning fashion.
De Libris: Prose and VerseAustin Dobson
The reigning Queen was his sister-in-law and was all-powerful.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, CompleteDuc de Saint-Simon
And the ordinances he established service to this day at the court of the reigning king.
CyropaediaXenophon
After reigning for a twelvemonth, he was banished from Mexico on parole never to return.
Aztec LandMaturin M. Ballou
Her brothers treat her as though she were a reigning princess.
reign
- 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 powerfulthe reign of violence is over
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- 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; prevaila land where darkness reigns
- (usually present participle) to be the most recent winner of a competition, contest, etcthe reigning heavyweight champion
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French reigne, from Latin rēgnum kingdom, from rēx king
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
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
Word Origin and History for reigning
reign
n.
early 13c., "kingdom," from Old French reigne "kingdom, land, country" (Modern French règne), from Latin regnum "kingship, dominion, rule, realm," related to regere (see regal). Meaning "period of rule" first recorded mid-14c.
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reign
v.
"to hold or exercise sovereign power," late 13c., from Old French regner "rule, reign" (12c.), from Latin regnare "have royal power, be king, rule, reign," from regnum (see reign (n.)). Related: Reigned; reigning; regnal.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper