rein

[ reyn ]

/ reɪn /

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noun

Often reins. a leather strap, fastened to each end of the bit of a bridle, by which the rider or driver controls a horse or other animal by pulling so as to exert pressure on the bit.

any of certain other straps or thongs forming part of a harness, as a checkrein.

any means of curbing, controlling, or directing; check; restraint.

reins, the controlling or directing power: the reins of government.

verb (used with object)

to check or guide (a horse or other animal) by exerting pressure on a bridle bit by means of the reins.

to curb; restrain; control.

verb (used without object)

to obey the reins: a horse that reins well.

to rein a horse or other animal.

SYNONYMS FOR rein

6 check, bridle, limit.

See synonyms for rein on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms for rein

draw rein, to curtail one's speed or progress; halt: The rider saw the snake and drew rein sharply.

give rein to, to give complete freedom to; indulge freely: to give rein to one's imagination.Also give free rein to, give full rein to.

Origin of rein

1300–50; (noun) Middle English rene, reine, raine<Old French re(s)ne<Vulgar Latin *retina, noun derivative of Latin retinēre to hold back, retain; (v.) Middle English rainen, reinen, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM rein

reinless, adjectiveun·reined, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rein

rain, reign, rein

Words nearby rein

reimplantation, reimport, reimpose, reimpression, Reims, rein, reincarnate, reincarnation, reindeer, Reindeer Lake, reindeer moss

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for rein

SEATTLE — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will step down as chief executive of the e-commerce giant, turning over the reins to the company’s longtime cloud-computing boss Andy Jassy.
Jeff Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO, transitioning to executive chair role|Jay Greene, Tony Romm|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin stepped back from their roles as CEO and president of Alphabet in 2019, handing the reins to Sundar Pichai, a trusted deputy of 15 years.
With Bezos out as Amazon CEO, Zuckerberg is the last man standing|Elizabeth Dwoskin|February 3, 2021|Washington Post
Mayor Todd Gloria took the reins at City Hall last Thursday having already vowed to find funding to keep the shelter open into the new year.
The Convention Center Coronavirus Outbreak Was Inevitable|Lisa Halverstadt|December 17, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Mayor Todd Gloria took the reins at City Hall on Thursday, becoming the first person of color and member of the LGBT community elected to the city’s top post.
Morning Report: New Mayor, Council Take Over|Voice of San Diego|December 11, 2020|Voice of San Diego

When he took the reins in 2018, the 1,470-store chain made becoming an e-commerce player a priority.
Pandemic puppies push Petco profits, prompting public prospectus|Phil Wahba|December 4, 2020|Fortune
Kim Jong Un, who assumed power on the death of his father, had given uncle Jang nearly free rein to handle relations with Beijing.
Why North Korea Released Two Americans|Gordon G. Chang|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In retirement, Frank is consciously trying to pare down and rein in.
Richard Ford’s Artful Survivalist Guide: The Return of Frank Bascombe|Tom LeClair|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Congress itself ironically recognized as much in its effort to rein in presidential use of force after Vietnam.
Who Gets to Decide When We Go to War?|Deborah Pearlstein|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are times where we do takes that are so crazy that we have to rein it in.
Inside the Mind of The Mindy Project’s Resident Weirdo, Ike Barinholtz|Kevin Fallon|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He organized a bipartisan effort to rein in the National Security Agency that came within a few votes of passing the House.
Big Business Vs. Libertarians in the GOP|David Boaz|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He rode easily, with a loose rein, and he waved his disengaged hand the instant he caught sight of the white faces.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
To rein up was impossible, to go down would have been almost certain death to horse and man.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
The rein was fastened to a piece of split rattan drawn through the animal's nose.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Without drawing rein, they pushed on to Busseerutgunge, crossed the river Sai and neared the village of Bunnee.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A little way beyond the poplar-grove Piegan drew rein, and held up one hand.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for rein

rein

/ (reɪn) /

noun

(often plural) one of a pair of long straps, usually connected together and made of leather, used to control a horse, running from the side of the bit or the headstall to the hand of the rider, driver, or trainer

a similar device used to control a very young child

any form or means of controlto take up the reins of government

the direction in which a rider turns (in phrases such as on a left (or right) rein, change the rein)

something that restrains, controls, or guides

give free rein or give a free rein to allow considerable freedom; remove restraints

keep a tight rein on to control carefully; limitwe have to keep a tight rein on expenditure

on a long rein with the reins held loosely so that the horse is relatively unconstrained

shorten the reins to take up the reins so that the distance between hand and bit is lessened, in order that the horse may be more collected

verb

(tr) to check, restrain, hold back, or halt with or as if with reins

to control or guide (a horse) with a rein or reinsthey reined left

Word Origin for rein

C13: from Old French resne, from Latin retinēre to hold back, from re- + tenēre to hold; see restrain

undefined rein

See reign

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

Idioms and Phrases with rein

rein

see draw in the reins; free hand (rein) tight rein on.

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