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rein
[ reyn ]
noun
- any of certain other straps or thongs forming part of a harness, as a checkrein.
- any means of curbing, controlling, or directing; check; restraint.
- reins, the controlling or directing power:
the reins of government.
verb (used with object)
- to check or guide (a horse or other animal) by exerting pressure on a bridle bit by means of the reins.
- to curb; restrain; control.
Synonyms: , ,
verb (used without object)
- to obey the reins:
a horse that reins well.
- to rein a horse or other animal.
rein
/ ɪ /
noun
- often plural one of a pair of long straps, usually connected together and made of leather, used to control a horse, running from the side of the bit or the headstall to the hand of the rider, driver, or trainer
- a similar device used to control a very young child
- any form or means of control
to take up the reins of government
- the direction in which a rider turns (in phrases such as on a left ( or right ) rein , change the rein )
- something that restrains, controls, or guides
- give free rein or give a free reinto allow considerable freedom; remove restraints
- keep a tight rein onto control carefully; limit
we have to keep a tight rein on expenditure
- on a long reinwith the reins held loosely so that the horse is relatively unconstrained
- shorten the reinsto take up the reins so that the distance between hand and bit is lessened, in order that the horse may be more collected
verb
- tr to check, restrain, hold back, or halt with or as if with reins
- to control or guide (a horse) with a rein or reins
they reined left
Usage
Other Word Forms
- l adjective
- ܲ·Ա adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of rein1
Idioms and Phrases
- draw rein, to curtail one's speed or progress; halt:
The rider saw the snake and drew rein sharply.
- give rein to, to give complete freedom to; indulge freely: Also give free rein to, give full rein to.
to give rein to one's imagination.
More idioms and phrases containing rein
see draw in the reins ; free hand (rein) tight rein on .Example Sentences
They said the justices should rein in federal district judges and limit their power to make nationwide rulings.
It underscores how the U.S. government has been trying to rein in the power of Big Tech, which collects a trove of data of its users to fuel its advertising businesses.
The show is both genuinely funny and unabashedly silly, and director and choreographer Josh Rhodes has his hands full reining in some of the sitcom dopiness.
But as the Meta trial begins, it's among the many independent regulatory agencies that the administration seems keen to rein in.
However, that wasn’t enough to get outspoken “The DUFF” actor Thorne to rein in her thoughts.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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