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
M. H. Long, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
Traffic is minimal; instead, monkeys, iguanas, and the occasional jaguar have free reign.
—Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
The 29-year-old has been arguably Denver's second-best player this season, behind only reigning league MVP center Nikola Jokic.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reign 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Content by this author: Imperial Policies of Great Britain
IN 1897 there was held in London the Diamond Jubilee in celebration of the sixtieth year of the reign of Queen Victoria.
—M. H. Long, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
Traffic is minimal; instead, monkeys, iguanas, and the occasional jaguar have free reign.
—Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
That’s a lot to put on the inflamed Achilles tendons of reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
The 29-year-old has been arguably Denver's second-best player this season, behind only reigning league MVP center Nikola Jokic.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reign
Dictionary Entries Near reign
Cite this Entry
“Reign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reign. Accessed 24 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share