reign

noun \ ˈrān \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 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

But more than anything, what explains Ronaldo and Messi’s extended reign over world soccer is something that no one else in the game’s 150-year history has been able to match: uncanny timing.

— jonathan clegg, WSJ, "Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: Still Soccer’s Supreme Leaders," 12 June 2018
That reign plunged to a dramatic end last month when he was fired from his job as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for allegedly lying about and mishandling complaints of student rape.

— author: michelle boorstein, sarah pulliam bailey, Anchorage Daily News, "How women led to the dramatic rise and fall of Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson," 11 June 2018
The Austrian -- competing in his first grand slam final after a pair of semifinal showings in Paris -- needed to win the first set to have any realistic opportunity of ending Nadal's reign.

— ravi ubha, CNN, "Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem for 11th French Open title," 10 June 2018
That reign plunged to a dramatic end last month when he was fired from his job as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for allegedly lying about and mishandling complaints of student rape.

— michelle boorstein, The Seattle Times, "Thousands of conservative women behind the fall of Southern Baptists’ Paige Patterson," 10 June 2018
That reign plunged to a dramatic end last month when he was fired from his job as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for allegedly lying about and mishandling complaints of student rape.

— michelle boorstein, Washington Post, "How women led to the dramatic rise and fall of Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson," 10 June 2018
This seems to hint at the legend of The Night’s King, the commander of the Night’s Watch whose dark reign ended the Age of Heroes and ushered in an era called The Long Night — a story that Old Nan often used to tell young Brandon Stark.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "HBO orders a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel," 8 June 2018
Millican outran Leah Pritchett in the final round to reign supreme in the Top Fuel class at the JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

— tony baranek, Daily Southtown, "Clay Millican doubles his pleasure in JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway," 3 June 2018
Ron Conway, a venture capitalist, was widely regarded — and sometimes condemned — as the power behind the throne for Mr. Lee, whose reign was very good for tech.

— david streitfeld, New York Times, "Tech Was Supposed to Get Political. It’s Hanging Back in This Election.," 1 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

Following in the footsteps of 2017 breakout star and reigning series champion Josef Newgarden is 2018 standout Alexander Rossi.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar midseason review, Part I: What’s gone right," 14 June 2018
The reigning champions are a consistent gold standard.

— roger bennett, GQ, "Un-American Football: Your Guide to Enjoying This Yankee-Free World Cup," 12 June 2018
Keylor Navas plays keeper for the reigning European champions, Real Madrid.

— andrew beaton, WSJ, "World Cup 2018: A Guide to Every Team," 12 June 2018
Beating Belgium would pit France against Germany — the reigning champions — in the final (in my bracket, at least).

— alex ward, Vox, "9 questions about the 2018 World Cup you were too embarrassed to ask," 12 June 2018
The reigning Euroleague MVP is currently playing with Real Madrid in the Spanish League playoffs.

— nihal kolur, SI.com, "Report: Potential Lottery Pick Luka Doncic Will Remain in NBA Draft," 11 June 2018
Golden State’s Kevin Durant, the reigning Finals MVP, played in just 68 regular-season games this year.

— greg moore, azcentral, "Moore: Don't compare LeBron James to Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan; compare him to Wilt," 29 May 2018
After a rebound late in the first half, the reigning Finals MVP drove coast-to-coast for a huge two-handed slam that helped Golden State grab momentum.

— Washington Post, "Durant, Green lead Warriors past Spurs into second round," 25 Apr. 2018
The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder and the reigning All-Birmingham Defensive MVP said Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU are the three schools recruiting him the hardest right now, as the state's two in-state SEC schools' interest has cooled.

— josh bean, AL.com, "Auburn and Alabama interest falls for Fultondale 3-star LB, but other SEC schools like him," 25 Apr. 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