French Conversation · Level 75
60 words
French word
régner
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁeɲe/
Meaning
- verbrule
Example
Dans ce pays, le roi règne depuis dix ans.
In that country, the king has ruled for ten years.
More examples
Dans l'équipe, règne un esprit de compétition.
A spirit of competition reigns in the team.
Core concept
A crowned power stands over a realm while people or an influence submit to its authority.
Common phrases
régner en maître
rule supreme
régner sur
rule over
régner la terreur
terror holds sway
Similar words
diriger: Direct the day-to-day activities of an organization, business, or group.
gouverner: Administer a country or local authority as a political leader.
contrôler: Supervise people or things to regulate their actions or state.
dominer: Have greater power than others and use it to influence them.
Definition in French
Avoir l'autorité suprême ou le pouvoir effectif sur un État, un groupe ou une chose, et s'employer parfois au sens figuré.
Word origin
Régner descends from Latin regnare, 'to rule', through Old French, and belongs to the same family as Latin rex, 'king', and regere, 'to rule'.
Usage tips
- Régner is normally intransitive and takes sur for a domain, as in régner sur un pays; it can also describe an influence, as in un silence règne.