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
-
outreignverb (used with object)
-
interreignverb (used without object)
-
nonreigningadjective
-
unreigningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
reignsimple
-
reignssimple
-
have reignedperfect
-
has reignedperfect
-
am reigningprogressive
-
are reigningprogressive
-
is reigningprogressive
-
have been reigningperfect progressive
-
has been reigningperfect progressive
Past
-
reignedsimple
-
had reignedperfect
-
was reigningprogressive
-
were reigningprogressive
-
had been reigningperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Stargirl
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
And the incident presents an early challenge for Peixoto just weeks into his reign after he replaced Rob Edwards in a surprise move last month.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But some of the consternation from players towards how England were instructed to finish the game certainly paints an interesting picture heading into the rest of Tuchel's reign.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
A stunning jeweled dagger hilt and scabbard from Jahangir’s reign incorporate more than 2,000 diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in an intricate pattern in gold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
And throughout her reign, Madonna has lived her inconsistencies, vacillating between opinions and social, spiritual and artistic beliefs of all kinds.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
In the beginning of his reign he attacked Granada, and that enterprise was the basis of his state.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
This period of relative stability from 1556 to 1658 coincided with the reigns of three consecutive emperors: Akbar, his son Jahangir and his grandson Shah Jahan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
In an era when divisiveness reigns and everything seems to be designed to keep us at each other’s throats, Byrd makes camaraderie look as simple as it is.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
"Lots of people are living in fear and uncertainty," one former resident said of the oppressive atmosphere that many now say reigns in the world-renowned experimental city.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Palace sources say he can play a unique role in supporting a UK and US partnership that has "survived many presidencies and of course many reigns".
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
So her reigns of error smacked of good intentions and were never as juicy as Fifi's.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
For years USDC, which Circle and Coinbase co-founded, has reigned as the largest U.S.-based stablecoin.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Friday and Sunday evenings, Stravinsky, who reigned over the festival in the 1950s, and Schoenberg had pride of place as the two pillars of midcentury 20th century music in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
The result, she said, is that “the days when dad books reigned supreme are gone.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Rodriguez has reigned as unified champion at flyweight and super-flyweight, and boasts an undefeated 23-fight record - 16 inside the distance.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Different groups vying for power would come after my people to get them to fight for one side or another, and chaos reigned.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
For many years, and many election cycles, California’s reigning political genius was Clint Reilly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
To a team that also includes star receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, they added end Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
While visits are traditional for reigning MLB champions, the latest has sparked debate and anger, especially among the Dodgers' vast, long-standing and loyal Latino fan base.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
With 10 domestic T20 trophies between them, Northants Steelbacks, reigning champions Somerset, Hampshire Hawks and Notts Outlaws are no strangers to 20-over cricket's showpiece event.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
As the newly reigning United States Open Champion, and a participant in the Rosenwald the previous year, Bobby had anticipated getting this invitation for the 1957 tournament.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
