REIGN Definition & Meaning

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reign

[reyn]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
royal rule or authority; sovereignty.
Synonyms: ,
dominating power or influence.
the reign of law.

verb (used without object)

to possess or exercise sovereign power or authority.
Synonyms: , ,
Antonyms:
to hold the position and name of sovereign without exercising the ruling power.
to have control, rule, or influence of any kind.
to predominate; be prevalent.

reign

/ ��ɪ�� /

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

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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

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

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

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51�Թ� 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 ��ŧ�� ) “king”; Middle English verb reinen, regnen, from Old French reignier, from Latin ��𲵲��, derivative of regnum

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of reign¹

C13: from Old French reigne , from Latin ��ŧ��Գܳ� kingdom, from ��ŧ�� king

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She has beaten four top-15 players over the past five days, including reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

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Mexico, the reigning Gold Cup champion, started slowly in opening its defense of its title in the biennial 16-team tournament.

From

The power and cash that came with it were shamelessly recognized as the reigning currency of sports and politics.

From

In 1999, the New York Times called her “the hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl.”

From

The discovery, published in Nature, is a window into how tyrannosaurs evolved to become powerful predators that terrorised North America and Asia until the end of the reign of the dinosaurs.

From

Related 51�Թ�s

dominate��
govern��
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occupy��
predominate��

Reigate reignite

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