1
as in helm
the place of leadership or command
after the president resigned, the vice president stepped in and took the reins of the company
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in power
the right or means to command or control others
a peaceful transfer of the reins of government has always been a hallmark of our nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reins
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
John Carpino, who officially handed over the reins as the Angels’ president on Monday, was introduced to throw out the first pitch.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Mills’ sacking is said to be one of the final decisions of outgoing BBC boss Tim Davie, who passes the reins to interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies this week.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Her mom, Nadine Anderson, gave her full reins over the project.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 31 Mar. 2026
Any private operator taking over the reins would require years to come up to speed on how to make the system work, let alone to improve it, Hernandez said.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Abel took over the reins from Buffett at the start of the year.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2026
The 27-year-old took the starting reins from mainstay Stefan Frei — now in a backup role.
—CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Bob Iger passed the reins during Disney’s virtual annual meeting of shareholders, completing the company’s high-stakes and tightly choreographed changing of the guard.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
Rawlinson has struggled mightily since Alter handed her the reins, most publicly with the bungled hiring and firing of former coach and Hall of Fame player Teresa Weatherspoon.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
John Carpino, who officially handed over the reins as the Angels’ president on Monday, was introduced to throw out the first pitch.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Mills’ sacking is said to be one of the final decisions of outgoing BBC boss Tim Davie, who passes the reins to interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies this week.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Her mom, Nadine Anderson, gave her full reins over the project.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 31 Mar. 2026
Any private operator taking over the reins would require years to come up to speed on how to make the system work, let alone to improve it, Hernandez said.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Abel took over the reins from Buffett at the start of the year.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2026
The 27-year-old took the starting reins from mainstay Stefan Frei — now in a backup role.
—CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Bob Iger passed the reins during Disney’s virtual annual meeting of shareholders, completing the company’s high-stakes and tightly choreographed changing of the guard.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reins
Noun
-
But the public was receptive, and Magyar quickly evolved into a formal opposition leader, accepting the helm of the Tisza Party—founded in 2020—as a vehicle for his movement.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
And Breitmaier’s tenure at RUAG’s helm, from 2013 to 2019, coincided with scandal.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The power of an orator who can, in this way, fuse feeling and doctrine is immense.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The American president's agenda has striking parallels with the way the Hungarian leader used the levers of government to tilt the media, judiciary and electoral system to keep his party in power for 16 years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hats, shirts, chairs, and collectibles are all part of the experience.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Commissioner and vice chair Tim Hallman then made a motion to recommend that the City Council deny approval of the request.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At certain points in the novel, that distance calcifies and restrains his writing.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
And most of the officials agreed that the Fed’s key rate is close to a level that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Major marine war risk providers have started to scrap cover for vessels operating in the Persian Gulf as the fallout from a sudden security shock hobbles key shipping routes in the region.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Carolyn switches her nail color from a bold red to a blander shade; John hobbles out of his George magazine office wearing a cast on his left ankle due to a paragliding accident.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The officer again tells Timberlake to turn around and handcuffs him.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Placing the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts severely handcuffs what the Falcons can do this offseason.—
Omar Kelly
March 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More adventurous than the Solterra, the Uncharted wears a thin line across the nose that tethers its LED running lights to its logo.—
Marty Padgett,
The Drive,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Secrets that could take down a company, an industry; that's a bond that tethers you for life.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reins. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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