rein in

phrasal verb

reined in; reining in; reins in
1
: to limit or control (someone or something)
Congress must rein in spending.
You had better rein that kid in before she gets hurt.
2
: to make (an animal) stop by using reins
The rider reined in his horse.

Examples of rein in in a Sentence

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Advertisement Most notably, in 1958, congressional conservatives pushed to rein in the Warren Court for rulings that challenged and undercut the red-baiting that characterized the era of McCarthyism. Time, 14 Nov. 2025 The bank attributed the drop to Beijing's efforts in reining in industrial overcapacity and the housing downturn. Anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025 This is not the first time China has reined in gay-dating apps. Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025 With trade and economic uncertainty still lingering, most CEOs say their first move won’t be to raise prices—it’ll be to rein in expenses. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rein in

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Cite this Entry

“Rein in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rein%20in. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

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