take the reins
idiom
: to take control
The President-elect will officially take the reins in January.
Examples of take the reins in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the seven-member volunteer commission — long expected to take the reins from OPD’s federal overseers — still seems to be struggling to gain footing within Oakland’s complex bureaucratic tangles.
—
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Lane Kiffin’s messy departure from Ole Miss to take the reins at LSU six weeks ago is well-chronicled.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Buffett, who’s spent much of his life among the top 10 richest people in the world, is stepping down Wednesday as head of conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway; protégé Greg Abel will take the reins Thursday.
—Luciana Lopez, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Once his grandfather, Santa Claus (Jan Decleir), falls ill, his holiday-hating grandson Jules (Mo Bakker) must take the reins as Father Christmas in this Dutch film.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take the reins
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Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Lane Kiffin’s messy departure from Ole Miss to take the reins at LSU six weeks ago is well-chronicled.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Buffett, who’s spent much of his life among the top 10 richest people in the world, is stepping down Wednesday as head of conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway; protégé Greg Abel will take the reins Thursday.
—Luciana Lopez, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Once his grandfather, Santa Claus (Jan Decleir), falls ill, his holiday-hating grandson Jules (Mo Bakker) must take the reins as Father Christmas in this Dutch film.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take the reins
Cite this Entry
“Take the reins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20the%20reins. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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