reign

American  

[reyn] / reɪn /

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 British  

/ 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

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

Example Sentences

Aryna Sabalenka is two wins away from continuing her reign of dominance at the Australian Open with a third women's title in four years.

From BBC

“This is our moment to show that Pico Rivera chooses progress over violence,” Phoenix said in a statement, “that communities can heal, and that even where suffering once reigned, compassion can flourish.”

From Los Angeles Times

While he found that “predictions of American decline, at least in the realm of new technologies, are vastly exaggerated,” he also determined that the U.S. no longer reigns unchallenged.

From The Wall Street Journal

It reigned supreme at the Golden Globes earlier this month, winning best comedy, best director, best screenplay and best supporting actress, while "Hamnet" sprung a surprise by taking best drama film, beating out "Sinners".

From Barron's

"Proud" Madison Keys said she could walk away with her head held high after her reign as Australian Open champion ended to good friend Jessica Pegula on Monday in the last 16.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dominate
• govern
• hold sway
• occupy
• predominate