Definition of 'rein'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense reins
, present participle reining
, past tense, past participle reined
1. plural noun
2. plural noun
Journalists sometimes use the expression the reins or the reins of power to refer to the control of a country or organization.
4.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
rein
rein in British English
noun
1. (often plural)
4.
6. See give free rein
7. See keep a tight rein on
8. See on a long rein
9. See shorten the reins
verb
▶ USAGE See note at reign11.
to control or guide (a horse) with a rein or reins
they reined left
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: from Old French resne, from Latin retinēre to hold back, from re- + tenēre to hold; see restrainrein in American English
noun
1.
a narrow strap of leather attached to each end of the bit in the mouth of a horse, and held by the rider or driver to control the animal
usually used in pl.2. [pl.]
a means of guiding, controlling, checking, or restraining
the reins of government
verb transitive
3.
to guide, control, check, or restrain with or as with reins
verb intransitive
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
rein in American English
(rein)
transitive verb
7.
to check or guide (a horse or other animal) by exerting pressure on a bridle bit by
means of the reins
8.
to curb; restrain; control
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
reinless adjective
Word origin
[1300–50; (n.) ME rene, reine, raine ‹ OF re(s)ne ‹ VL *retina, n. deriv. of L retinēre to hold back, retain; (v.) ME rainen, reinen, deriv. of the n.]Examples of 'rein' in a sentence
rein
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Word lists with
rein
Tack and equipment and their partsQuick word challenge
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Which piece of tack or equipment am I?
a saddle, designed esp. for women riders in skirts, upon which the rider sits with both legs on the same side of the animal
Which piece of tack or equipment am I?
saddles, harness, and other leather equipment for horses collectively
Which piece of tack or equipment am I?
part of the metal mouthpiece of a horse's bridle
Which piece of tack or equipment am I?
the back part of a saddle that slopes upwards
Which piece of tack or equipment am I?
a crossbar in a horse's harness to which the ends of the traces are attached
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rein
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Definition of rein from the Collins English Dictionary
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