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reign

Syllabification: (reign)

Pronunciation: /rān/

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Definition of reign

verb

[no object]

hold royal office; rule as king or queen:Queen Elizabeth reigns over the UK
be the best or most important in a particular area or domain:in America, baseball reigns supreme
(of a quality or condition) prevail; predominate:confusion reigned
(of a sports player or team) currently hold a particular title.

noun

the period during which a sovereign rules:the original chapel was built in the reign of Charles I
the period during which someone or something is predominant or preeminent:these historic seconds inaugurated the reign of negative political advertising

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French reignier 'to reign', reigne 'kingdom', from Latin regnum, related to rex, reg- 'king'

The correct idiomatic phrase is free rein, not free reign: see rein (usage).

Do not confuse reign with rein. Reign means 'rule as king or queen' (Queen Elizabeth reigns over the UK) or 'the period of a king’s or queen’s rule' whereas rein means 'the strap used to control a horse' or 'control something' (she reined back her impatience).

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Other

reign

verb

noun

Origin:

reign in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for reign

More words in this category

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