take the reins

idiom

: to take control
The President-elect will officially take the reins in January.

Examples of take the reins in a Sentence

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There is, however, one aspect of DOGE that the American people should be wary of that few are talking about: its impassioned deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) to take the reins of the federal government. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025 Previous directors of the agency were able to take the reins soon after they were picked by the president, without undergoing the confirmation process. Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2025 The comedy — set to premiere on the streamer on March 6 — also stars Poorna Jagannathan as Lucky Auntie, Baba’s close confidante who’s eager to take the reins at Dar Co., and Brian George as Ahmad, an equally power-hungry member of the Dar company. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025 How could rank amateurs take the reins of such a powerful office? Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take the reins

Cite this Entry

“Take the reins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20the%20reins. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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