1
as in helm
the place of leadership or command
after the president resigned, the vice president stepped in and took the reins of the company
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in power
the right or means to command or control others
a peaceful transfer of the reins of government has always been a hallmark of our nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reins
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Her mom, Nadine Anderson, gave her full reins over the project.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 31 Mar. 2026
Any private operator taking over the reins would require years to come up to speed on how to make the system work, let alone to improve it, Hernandez said.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Jelinek handed the reins over to Vachris in 2024.
—Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
Abel took over the reins from Buffett at the start of the year.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2026
The 27-year-old took the starting reins from mainstay Stefan Frei — now in a backup role.
—CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Bob Iger passed the reins during Disney’s virtual annual meeting of shareholders, completing the company’s high-stakes and tightly choreographed changing of the guard.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Vasarely’s grandson Pierre Vasarely took over the reins as CEO in 2009, and although the museum’s building was designated as a historic monument in 2013, neglect had taken its toll.
—News Desk, Artforum, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
Mills’ sacking is said to be one of the final decisions of outgoing BBC boss Tim Davie, who passes the reins to interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies this week.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
Her mom, Nadine Anderson, gave her full reins over the project.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 31 Mar. 2026
Any private operator taking over the reins would require years to come up to speed on how to make the system work, let alone to improve it, Hernandez said.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Jelinek handed the reins over to Vachris in 2024.
—Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
Abel took over the reins from Buffett at the start of the year.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2026
The 27-year-old took the starting reins from mainstay Stefan Frei — now in a backup role.
—CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Bob Iger passed the reins during Disney’s virtual annual meeting of shareholders, completing the company’s high-stakes and tightly choreographed changing of the guard.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Vasarely’s grandson Pierre Vasarely took over the reins as CEO in 2009, and although the museum’s building was designated as a historic monument in 2013, neglect had taken its toll.
—News Desk, Artforum, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reins
Noun
-
Prior to his job at the Huskers’ helm, the former NBA star was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Iowa State.—
Mia Fishman,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Trump selected Mullin after removing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from the agency's helm.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a social media post on Monday morning, Kuwait said a service building at a power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in an attack Sunday evening, killing one worker.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In January, another Polymarket account won big by betting that Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, would soon be out of power.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The furniture is more traditional than trendy—think beige walls, wood accents, and leather reading chairs.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Wilcox sued Tarrant County GOP chair Tim Davis when she was removed from the ballot in the House District 98 primary because of problems with her paperwork.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At certain points in the novel, that distance calcifies and restrains his writing.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
And most of the officials agreed that the Fed’s key rate is close to a level that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Major marine war risk providers have started to scrap cover for vessels operating in the Persian Gulf as the fallout from a sudden security shock hobbles key shipping routes in the region.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Carolyn switches her nail color from a bold red to a blander shade; John hobbles out of his George magazine office wearing a cast on his left ankle due to a paragliding accident.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The officer again tells Timberlake to turn around and handcuffs him.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Placing the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts severely handcuffs what the Falcons can do this offseason.—
Omar Kelly
March 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More adventurous than the Solterra, the Uncharted wears a thin line across the nose that tethers its LED running lights to its logo.—
Marty Padgett,
The Drive,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Secrets that could take down a company, an industry; that's a bond that tethers you for life.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reins. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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