reign

noun

/reɪn/

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the period during which a king, queen, emperor, etc. rules
- By the end of his reign, the vast empire was in decline.
- in/during a reign The house was built during the reign of Henry VIII.
Homophones rain | reign | rein
rain reign rein
/reɪn/

/reɪn/
- rain noun
  Look at that rain! We'll be drenched if it doesn't stop.
- rain verb
  Take an umbrella—it's going to rain.
- reign noun
  The country changed dramatically during her long reign.
- reign verb
  Henry Bolingbroke was soon to reign in England as Henry IV.
- rein noun
  She's been given free rein to spend the money however she wants.
- rein verb
  They should learn to rein in their opinions, otherwise they'll offend somebody.
Topics Historyc1
the period during which somebody is in charge of an organization, a team, etc.
- Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Manchester United
- The story only came out during the final days of his reign as Chief Executive.
Wordfinder
- abdicate
- accede
- crown
- king
- government
- monarch
- throne
- reign
- royal
- succession

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French reignier ‘to reign’, reigne ‘kingdom’, from Latin regnum, related to rex, reg- ‘king’.

reign

verb

/reɪn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they reign	/reɪn/ /reɪn/
he / she / it reigns	/reɪnz/ /reɪnz/
past simple reigned	/reɪnd/ /reɪnd/
past participle reigned	/reɪnd/ /reɪnd/
-ing form reigning	/ˈreɪnɪŋ/ /ˈreɪnɪŋ/

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[intransitive] to rule as king, queen, emperor, etc.
- It was the first visit by a British reigning monarch to Russia.
- Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901.
- reign over somebody/something Herod reigned over Palestine at that time.
Homophones rain | reign | rein
rain reign rein
/reɪn/

/reɪn/
- rain noun
  Look at that rain! We'll be drenched if it doesn't stop.
- rain verb
  Take an umbrella—it's going to rain.
- reign noun
  The country changed dramatically during her long reign.
- reign verb
  Henry Bolingbroke was soon to reign in England as Henry IV.
- rein noun
  She's been given free rein to spend the money however she wants.
- rein verb
  They should learn to rein in their opinions, otherwise they'll offend somebody.
Topics Historyc1
[intransitive] reign (over somebody/something) to be the best or most important in a particular situation or area of skill
- She will face the reigning champion in her first round match.
- In the field of classical music, he still reigns supreme.
Extra Examples
- a show in which the music reigns supreme
- A handful of families have reigned over Bangkok's economy for many years.
[intransitive] (literary) (of an idea, a feeling or an atmosphere) to be the most obvious feature of a place or moment
- At last silence reigned (= there was complete silence).
- For a while, chaos and confusion reigned.
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Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French reignier ‘to reign’, reigne ‘kingdom’, from Latin regnum, related to rex, reg- ‘king’.