reign
[ reyn ]
/ reɪn /
noun
the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
royal rule or authority; sovereignty.
dominating power or influence: the reign of law.
verb (used without object)
RELATED CONTENT
Fewer vs. LessMisuse of the terms fewer and less will set off alarms in the heads of many language enthusiasts. According to usage rules, fewer is only to be used when discussing countable things, while less is used for singular mass nouns. For example, you can have fewer ingredients, dollars, people, or puppies, but less salt, money, honesty, or love. If you can count it, go for …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
reif, reifenstein's syndrome, reification, reify, reigate, reign, reign of terror, reigning, reignite, reik, reik, theodor
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 FOR reign
Related formsin·ter·reign, verb (used without object)non·reign·ing, adjectiveout·reign, verb (used with object)un·reign·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for reigning
British Dictionary definitions for reigning
reign
/ (reɪn) /
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 powerfulthe reign of violence is over
verb (intr)
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
Word Origin for reign
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