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
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
His mom so graciously gave us—two wide-eyed 11-year-olds—the reins to plan and curate our own menu.
—Emily Bloch, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Since rupturing his Achilles, the Cleveland Browns have drafted three quarterbacks, including Shedeur Sanders, who took the reins to close the 2025 season after Dillon Gabriel, who started after Joe Flacco was traded, suffered a concussion.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
After Ole Miss’s starting quarterback suffered an ankle injury in week two, Chambliss took the reins and thrived.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Today, as the company’s ninth CEO in its 102-year history takes the reins, Josh D’Amaro is forced to navigate his own existential crisis brought about by an emerging technology—artificial intelligence.
—Roland Betancourt, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
The verbal jousting restarted as public members sought to take the reins of these working groups before federal members cut in to suggest that public members were boxing federal members out of any leadership position.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
Such reins on an industry that has billed itself as capable of extinguishing humankind are, theoretically, in everyone’s interest.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Apple announced earlier this month that Tim Cook will step down as CEO in September and hand over the reins to the company’s current hardware chief, John Ternus.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
But Solis wound up being called only as a limited defense witness, and Duffy’s trial partner, Chris Gair, wound up taking the reins on the questioning.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
His mom so graciously gave us—two wide-eyed 11-year-olds—the reins to plan and curate our own menu.
—Emily Bloch, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Since rupturing his Achilles, the Cleveland Browns have drafted three quarterbacks, including Shedeur Sanders, who took the reins to close the 2025 season after Dillon Gabriel, who started after Joe Flacco was traded, suffered a concussion.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
After Ole Miss’s starting quarterback suffered an ankle injury in week two, Chambliss took the reins and thrived.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Today, as the company’s ninth CEO in its 102-year history takes the reins, Josh D’Amaro is forced to navigate his own existential crisis brought about by an emerging technology—artificial intelligence.
—Roland Betancourt, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
The verbal jousting restarted as public members sought to take the reins of these working groups before federal members cut in to suggest that public members were boxing federal members out of any leadership position.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
Such reins on an industry that has billed itself as capable of extinguishing humankind are, theoretically, in everyone’s interest.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Apple announced earlier this month that Tim Cook will step down as CEO in September and hand over the reins to the company’s current hardware chief, John Ternus.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reins
Noun
-
Mendoza has a 182-173 record in his three seasons at the helm.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
United, on the other hand, have won six of their seven home matches with Carrick at the helm and are favourites to win again here.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Once fierce rivals, the two men were responsible for the country’s first peaceful transfer of power between parties, after Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party defeated Adams and the Federalists in the election of 1800.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Meanwhile, the Marlins are sending catcher Agustin Ramirez to Triple-A after an uneven first five weeks in which his power declined, his defense remained poor and base running errors frustrated the team.—
Barry Jackson,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Rooms California-cool meets Big Bear coziness here, with light, airy rooms warmed up by charming blue plaid chairs, thick wooden furniture, and floral wallpapers in various coastal shades.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Marsha Eriks, surgical technologist instructor and program chair, expected 60 to 100 students to cycle through her labs.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
29 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
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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
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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
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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
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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 5 May. 2026.
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