reign

[reyn]

noun

1. the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.

2. royal rule or authority; sovereignty.

   Synonyms: suzerainty, dominion

3. dominating power or influence.

   the reign of law.

verb (used without object)

1. to possess or exercise sovereign power or authority.

   Synonyms: prevail, govern, rule
   Antonyms: obey

2. to hold the position and name of sovereign without exercising the ruling power.

3. to have control, rule, or influence of any kind.

4. to predominate; be prevalent.

reign

/ reɪn /

noun

1. the period during which a monarch is the official ruler of a country

2. a period during which a person or thing is dominant, influential, or powerful

   the reign of violence is over

verb

1. to exercise the power and authority of a sovereign

2. to be accorded the rank and title of a sovereign without having ruling authority, as in a constitutional monarchy

3. to predominate; prevail

   a land where darkness reigns

4. (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

• interreign verb (used without object)
• nonreigning adjective
• outreign verb (used with object)
• unreigning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reign¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of reign¹

C13: from Old French reigne , from Latin rēgnum kingdom, from rēx king

Example Sentences

Steve Tandy's reign has started with three heavy autumn defeats to South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina and a last-gasp win against Japan.

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But reigning Scottish champions Celtic, who have two games in hand, will close the gap to two points if they beat Hibernian on Sunday.

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The Chicago Bears ran roughshod over the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, beating the reigning Super Bowl champions 24-15 to push their NFL winning streak to five games.

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With the group of players that was really struggling in the latter weeks and months of Rodgers' reign, O'Neill's got a big win on the road in Europe on the big stage.

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However, the reigning champions are 12th in the Premier League with six wins and six defeats after 12 matches while they sit 13th in the 36-team league phase of the Champions League.

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Related Words

• dominate 
• govern 
• hold sway www.thesaurus.com
• occupy 
• predominate