reign

Pluralreigns

Formsreigns, reigning, reigned

1. 1
   nouncountable

   The period during which a monarch holds and exercises rule.

   Queen Victoria's reign spanned much of the nineteenth century.

   The young king's reign began amid widespread political turmoil.

   Similarrule

2. 2
   verbintransitive

   To hold supreme authority over a realm as its king or queen.

   Monarchs once reigned by claiming their authority came from God.

   He longed to reign, but the crown passed to his younger brother.

   Similarrule, govern

   Note

   Grammatically the verb stands alone: a monarch simply reigns, with no object. What follows it is a manner or a role. He reigned in an autocratic manner, and Marlowe's Tamburlaine promises "we will raigne as Consuls of the earth." To name the country, add over. Dropping the preposition gives the rare transitive use.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   The exercise of sovereign power held by a monarch.

   His reign extended to every corner of public life, leaving nothing unregulated.

   Absolute reign gave the emperor power over law, army, and church alike.

   Similarrule, sovereignty, dominion

   Note

   A borrowing that pushed out English's own words. Middle English regnen came through Old French reignier from Latin rēgnō and rēgnum, and it displaced Old English rīċe and ricsian. Latin regnum survives beside it in English as a doublet. This sense puts the weight on power being exercised, so the natural construction is under someone's reign: England prospered under Elizabeth I's reign.

4. 4
   verbintransitive

   Of a feeling or condition such as chaos or silence, to prevail throughout a place or situation.

   Chaos reigned in the streets after the sudden announcement.

   In that household, strict order seemed to reign at all hours.

   Similarprevail, predominate

   Note

   The figurative verb takes an abstract noun as its subject and usually nothing after it: silence reigned, confusion reigns. Its force comes from brevity. In F.J. Thwaites's The Redemption (1936), "Silence reigned" stands on its own before the screeching of vultures breaks it. Richard Bawden (2007) uses the same pattern for intellectual muddle: "confusion reigns about" what a term means.

5. 5
   verbintransitive

   To hold the title as the most recent winner of a competition.

   The defending side reigned over the league for three straight seasons.

   They reign as the current world champions after their decisive victory.

6. 6
   nouncountable

   The territory or sphere over which a monarch's rule extends.

   The empire's reign stretched from the great river to the distant mountains.

   Travelers crossed the borders of her reign without paying any toll.

   Similarrealm, domain, dominion, kingdom

   Note

   Here the word names ground rather than power or time. In Edmund Spenser's Mother Hubberds Tale (1591), the Fox is not pleased "to have the reign / Twixt them divided into even twain." That is a kingdom that can be split like land. Kingdom, realm and dominion name the same ground, but reign frames it as the reach of a ruler's power.

7. 7
   verbnonstandardtransitive

   To rule a country, exercising sovereign power over it.

   He reigned the realm for nearly thirty years before abdicating.

   The House of Piast reigned Poland from its foundation to 1385.

   2007, Anna Chilewska, Writing after the gaze: the rupture of the historical

   Similarrule, govern

   Note

   The country comes straight after the verb, and that is what makes this use rare and nonstandard. Anna Chilewska writes in 2007 that the House of Piast "reigned Poland." In careful writing, say reigned over Poland or ruled Poland, because the ordinary verb needs its preposition before the realm.

Showing meanings only. Show all 7