Library / English Dictionary

REIGN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Royal authority; the dominion of a monarch

Synonyms:

reign; sovereignty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("reign" is a kind of...):

dominion; rule (dominance or power through legal authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reign"):

scepter; sceptre (the imperial authority symbolized by a scepter)

Derivation:

reign (have sovereign power)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The period during which a monarch is sovereign

Example:

during the reign of Henry VIII

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("reign" is a kind of...):

age; historic period (an era of history having some distinctive feature)

Derivation:

reign (have sovereign power)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful

Example:

he was helpless under the reign of his egotism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("reign" is a kind of...):

period; period of time; time period (an amount of time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reign"):

reign of terror (any period of brutal suppression thought to resemble the Reign of Terror in France)

Derivation:

reign (be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Have sovereign power

Example:

Henry VIII reigned for a long time

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "reign" is one way to...):

govern; rule (exercise authority over; as of nations)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

reign (royal authority; the dominion of a monarch)

reign (the period during which a monarch is sovereign)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

Example:

Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood

Synonyms:

dominate; predominate; prevail; reign; rule

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "reign"):

override (prevail over)

overarch (be central or dominant)

outbalance; outweigh; overbalance; preponderate (weigh more heavily)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

reign (a period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The presence of Safie diffused happiness among its inhabitants, and I also found that a greater degree of plenty reigned there.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Judge Blount glared at him with apoplectic countenance, and silence reigned.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

To my certain knowledge he has acted on behalf of three of the reigning houses of Europe in very vital matters.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The circumstances are of great delicacy, and every precaution has to be taken to quench what might grow to be an immense scandal and seriously compromise one of the reigning families of Europe.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I am not one of those who neglect the reigning power to bow to the rising sun.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

His shoes were of red leather, daintily pointed at the toes, but not yet prolonged to the extravagant lengths which the succeeding reign was to bring into fashion.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The wall inscriptions and paintings are believed to belong to an era between the reigns of King Amenhotep II and King Thutmose IV, both pharaohs of the 18th dynasty.

(Discovery of Two Tombs Dating Back 3,500 Years Announced in Egypt, VOA)

Egypt announced the discovery of a pharaonic tomb in the southern city of Luxor belonging to a royal goldsmith who lived more than 3,500 years ago during the reign of the 18th dynasty.

(Egypt Announces Discovery of 3,500-Year-Old Luxor Tomb, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

It was a style of beauty, of which elegance was the reigning character, and as such, she must, in honour, by all her principles, admire it:—elegance, which, whether of person or of mind, she saw so little in Highbury.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

No serious quarrel had ever vexed the serenity of the party; and, now that each had sixteen hundred dollars to show for a short summer's work, there reigned the well-fed, contented spirit of prosperity.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)