reign
Americannoun
-
the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
-
royal rule or authority; sovereignty.
- Synonyms:
- suzerainty, dominion
-
dominating power or influence.
the reign of law.
verb (used without object)
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 powerful
the reign of violence is over
verb
-
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; prevail
a land where darkness reigns
-
(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
Derived Forms
-
unreigningadjective
-
outreignverb (used with object)
-
nonreigningadjective
-
interreignverb (used without object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has reignedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have reignedperfect
-
is reigningprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am reigningprogressive 1st person singular
-
reigningparticiple
-
has been reigningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been reigningperfect progressive
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reignssingular 3rd person
-
are reigningprogressive
Past
-
had reignedperfect
-
had been reigningperfect progressive
-
reignedsimple
-
was reigningprogressive singular
-
reignedparticiple
-
were reigningprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of reign
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
Explanation
Rain falls from above, and people who reign rule from a position above others. They reign over countries and governments, and even over businesses and arts, as in "She used to reign over punk music, always topping the charts." While reign is a verb when it refers to the actions of a person or group of people, the period of time when they reign is also called a reign, as a noun: "His reign over the rodeo circuit ended when he was tackled by a bull named Princess-Maker." Sometimes a stretch of time is called a reign, even without regard to who was the leader, as in a "reign of peace," or a period of time without war and conflict, in a place or government.
Vocabulary lists containing reign
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Stargirl
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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.
He designed sets for plays and backdrops for operas and—using an iPad—created a hawthorn-blossom pattern for a stained-glass window in Westminster Abbey to honor the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
The two nations have locked horns in the past three major tournaments and developed a respectful and competitive rivalry during Wiegman's reign.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
His company, SoftBank Group 9984 -8.06%decrease; red down pointing triangle , on Monday became Japan’s most valuable, ending Toyota’s 23-year reign.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Bradley’s election transformed Los Angeles politics and began what has been, for the most part, a 50-year reign of moderate Democrats.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
All the good of his reign had been done by his ministers and the kyorremy.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
