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
reigned; reigning; reigns
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
Synonyms
Examples of reign in a Sentence
Noun
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
Verb
The king reigned in a time of peace and prosperity.
The lion reigns as king of the jungle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Web Golinkin, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Finding coins that were in use almost 1,000 years ago is exceptionally rare – this hoard contains twice as many coins from during Harold II’s reign as had previously been found.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
Frankie Frisco, arkansasonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024
The 2024-25 NBA season starts amid an era of change—fresh off a new round of media rights deals, a year removed from a new collective bargaining agreement, with its reigning champion about to go on the market.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reign 
Noun
While each of these cost reduction initiatives has some merit, the challenge will be to reign in prescription drug costs without removing all of the financial incentives that have helped to make our domestic pharmaceutical industry a world leader and critical part of the U.S. economy.
—Web Golinkin, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Finding coins that were in use almost 1,000 years ago is exceptionally rare – this hoard contains twice as many coins from during Harold II’s reign as had previously been found.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Lee Trevino’s last visit to Little Rock came in May 1969, when the reigning U.S. Open champion won an exhibition match at Pleasant Valley Country Club against Tom Weiskopf and three other PGA Tour members, including Arkansas’ R.H. Sikes.
—Frankie Frisco, arkansasonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024
The 2024-25 NBA season starts amid an era of change—fresh off a new round of media rights deals, a year removed from a new collective bargaining agreement, with its reigning champion about to go on the market.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reign
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near reign
Cite this Entry
“Reign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reign. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reign
1 of 2 noun1
: the authority or rule of a monarch
2
: the time during which a monarch reigns
reign
2 of 2 verb1
: to govern as a monarch
2
: to exercise authority in the manner of a monarch
3
: to be usual or widespread
silence reigned
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