reign
Americannoun
-
reigns
plural
-
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)
-
reigns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reigned,
past participle, past
-
reigning
present participle
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:
By the end of his reign, England were characterised by what Stokes said and did.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Memory has become the “king” of the semiconductor industry, according to one analyst, and he believes “its reign is here to stay.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
In the Texas Panhandle, where oil and gas still reign, massive data-center projects are already under construction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Your underperforming reign makes the McCourts of Dodgers infamy seem as amazing and beloved as the O’Malleys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The soldiers’ job was to reinstate the country’s democratically elected government, in the process stripping power from the junta—a government composed of military leaders—whose corrupt and cruel reign had gone on for three years.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Alexander Johannes Edmonds and Eckart Frahm identify three rulers who do not appear on the list but whose reigns can be reconstructed from other surviving evidence.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” reigns supreme over nine live-action movies and two animated features.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
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
Japan’s Emperor Akihito, who reigns today, is the 82nd direct descendant of the emperor under whom that first chronicle of A.D.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
And for years, “Sgt. Pepper” reigned supreme, routinely topping “best of” lists as the finest album ever recorded.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
For years USDC, which Circle and Coinbase co-founded, has reigned as the largest U.S.-based stablecoin.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The result, she said, is that “the days when dad books reigned supreme are gone.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
After three hit films and a West End musical that reigned at the Olivier Awards last weekend, a fourth big-screen outing was confirmed at CinemaCon.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Torches flickered and died until darkness reigned both within Elsinore and without.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
In this corner, the reigning heavyweight champ: a version of every Oscar-baiting, prestige movie you’ve ever seen.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Stafford is the reigning NFL most valuable player and Nacua, Adams, running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum and five tight ends provide him with plenty of weapons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Yet reigning champions Arsenal have started this season as strongly as they finished 2025-26, when they celebrated their first Premier League title for 22 years.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Quarterback Matthew Stafford is the reigning NFL most valuable player — and shows no sign of slippage as he enters his 18th NFL season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
A hundred times before, Johnny had stopped on the streets of Boston, or before her house, to watch her: he but one more gaping face in a crowd, she the accepted reigning belle.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
