reign

noun \ ˈrān \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: reign in a Sentence

Definition of reign

1 a : royal authority : sovereignty

under the reign of the Stuart kings

b : the dominion, sway, or influence of one resembling a monarch

the reign of the Puritan ministers

2 : the time during which someone (such as a sovereign) reigns

See reign defined for English-language learners

See reign defined for kids

Examples of reign in a Sentence

She was a popular ruler throughout her reign.
the reign of Queen Elizabeth
his reign as department chairperson
her reign as team president
his reign as heavyweight boxing champion
the reign of digital technology

Recent Examples of reign from the Web

United have been linked with moves for Tierney throughout the Portuguese manager's reign at Old Trafford, although the club have so far delayed talks for the defender.

— SI.com, "Man Utd to Delay Search for New Left Back But Shortlist Long-Term Target for 2019," 9 July 2018
The truth of the matter is that the nicki Minaj reign is up.

— rania aniftos, Billboard, "Azealia Banks Slams Nicki Minaj, Claims She Stole Her Mermaid Concept: 'Your Hips & Booty Too Big For That'," 5 July 2018
Samarra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a city rich with medieval artifacts from the Sunni Abbasid reign and the final resting place of two of Shiite Islam’s revered imams.

— Washington Post, "Public enemy or savior? An Iraqi city could reveal the true Moqtada al-Sadr," 4 July 2018
McCall’s horrific 1945 to 1972 reign has always been treated with kid gloves in these parts.

— lauren ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Statue of Confederate general is no 'piece of art,' has no place in Lake County museum," 1 July 2018
The monarchy had been restored, but during Cromwell’s reign an awful lot of English writing had been stunted; for a time, plays were even banned, for fear of public political criticism.

— constance grady, Vox, "They say a preposition is something you should never end a sentence with. That’s nonsense.," 23 June 2018
Lawmakers in California have introduced a sweeping privacy bill to the state legislature that would give Californians unprecedented control over their data and reign in the power of their Silicon Valley neighbors.

— issie lapowsky, WIRED, "Bill Could Give Californians Unprecedented Control Over Data," 22 June 2018
Although the Spanish destroyed the temple's final phase, the smaller temples from earlier reigns were paved over but left relatively unscathed.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Feeding the gods: Hundreds of skulls reveal massive scale of human sacrifice in Aztec capital," 21 June 2018
Ree Drummond's Pawhuska, Oklahoma reign is continuing to expand.

— Southern Living, "Dream Job Alert: The Pioneer Woman is Hiring," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reign.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of reign

Middle English regne, from Anglo-French, from Latin regnum, from reg-, rex king — more at royal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

reign Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

reign

verb

Definition of reign

reigned; reigning; reigns

intransitive verb

1 a : to possess or exercise sovereign power : rule

b : to hold office as chief of state although possessing little governing power

in England the sovereign reigns but does not rule

2 : to exercise authority in the manner of a monarch

3 : to be predominant or prevalent

chaos reigned in the classroom

See reign defined for English-language learners

Examples of reign in a Sentence

The king reigned in a time of peace and prosperity.
The lion reigns as king of the jungle.

Recent Examples of reign from the Web

For example, the reigning USL MVP is Dane Kelly, of the Jamaican National Team.

— shawn mcfarland, courant.com, "Everything You Need To Know About The USL And Hartford's New Pro Soccer Team," 12 July 2018
The reigning American League MVP is up against Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Max Scherzer for Best MLB Player.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros nominated for several ESPY Awards," 20 June 2018
For the sake of cinema, the cast — ranging from ages 14 to 19 — trotted back to the not-so-distant past, where braces reigned supreme and social currency was the only currency.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "The Stars Of Eighth Grade Relive Their Middle School Horror Stories," 13 July 2018
And even for those who remain in Gilead, a zealotry reigns that has stopped seeing people as human and started seeing them as numbers and cogs, bodies without individual souls.

— alissa wilkinson, Vox, "What two fictional Gileads can teach us about America in 2018," 12 July 2018
Following a meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle Friday — where etiquette reigns supreme — Trump plans to spend the weekend in Scotland.

— jonathan allen /, NBC News, "Trump's European trip: Trade wars, Brexit chaos — and a Russia quandary," 10 July 2018
Ten years later, Louis Cartier would open the Cartier shop on Rue de la Paix, a fin de siècle masterpiece that no one dared criticize, and to this day reigning as queen over that illustrious avenue.

— lynn yaeger, Vogue, "Cartier’s New High Jewelry Collection Is a Banquet of Color," 6 July 2018
Norris, the 2016 record-setter and a world-class cross-country skier, reigns as king of the mountain despite a valiant effort by King, a Mount Marathon rookie with an outstanding running resume.

— beth bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "With an elite competitor hot on his heels, Anchorage’s David Norris takes back men’s Mount Marathon title," 5 July 2018
Younger firebrands such as Matteo Salvini, head of the nativist League party, now dominate the airwaves where Mr. Berlusconi once reigned supreme.

— eric sylvers, WSJ, "Berlusconi, Italy’s Original Populist, Fades From Popularity," 4 July 2018

First Known Use of reign

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

REIGN Defined for English Language Learners

reign

noun

Definition of reign for English Language Learners

: the period of time during which a king, queen, emperor, etc., is ruler of a country
: the period of time during which someone is in charge of a group or organization
: the period of time during which someone or something is the best or the most important, powerful, etc.

reign

verb

Definition of reign for English Language Learners

: to rule as a king, queen, emperor, etc.
: to be the best or the most powerful or important person or thing
—used to say that a quality exists to such a degree in a place or situation that it affects everything about that place or situation