reins
Americanplural noun
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the kidneys.
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the region of the kidneys, or the lower part of the back.
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(especially in Biblical use) the seat of the feelings or affections, formerly identified with the kidneys.
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of reins
before 1000; Middle English reines, reenes < Old French reins; compare Old English (once) rēnys; both < Latin rēnēs kidneys, loins (plural); cf. renal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Okuda took the reins of the struggling firm in 1995 as the first person from outside the founding family in decades, and pushed innovative products such as the RAV4 and Prius.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
And the company has put some of its massive cash hoard to work, for the first time since Abel took the reins.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
Any talk of changing the rules, salary cap or otherwise, to put reins on this kind of success would propagate underperformance and penalize this fascinating culture of constant improvement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Burnham is taking the reins amid global "turmoil", or so says the Sun, which writes that chaos is "already engulfing the crucial issue of oil and gas drilling".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Dad seemed to be on the board still, clinging to the reins.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
