- [countable, usually plural]
a long narrow leather band that is attached to a metal bar in a horse’s mouth (= a bit) and is held by the rider in order to control the horse 缰绳 Extra ExamplesSean gathered up the horse's reins. 肖恩拾起马缰绳。 She had the horse on a long rein. 她用一根长绳子拴住马。 She pulled sharply on the reins. 她猛地拉紧缰绳。 He took the reins and walked the horse down the street. 他抓住缰绳，牵着马沿街走去。 She jerked the reins and put the pony into a trot. 她猛拉缰绳，让小马小跑起来。 Shorten your reins and lean forward more. 缩短你的缰绳，向前倾斜更多。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + rein- hold
- gather
- gather up
- …
- on a rein
- give free rein to something
- give full rein to something
- reins[plural] (British English)
a pair of long narrow pieces of cloth or other material worn by a small child and held by an adult in order to stop the child from walking off and getting lost （幼儿佩带以防走失的）保护带 - the reins[plural]
the state of being in control or the leader of something 控制；主宰；掌管 It was time to hand over the reins of power (= to give control to somebody else). 是该让权的时候了。 The vice-president was forced to take up the reins of office. 副总统被迫走马上任。
Extra ExamplesHe seized the reins of power. 他夺得了掌控权。 It's the Treasury that effectively holds the reins. 事实上是财政部掌权。 It's the accountants who effectively hold the reins. 事实上是会计人员掌权。 Parents need to loosen the reins as the child grows. 随着孩子长大，家长需要放放手。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + the reins- hold
- grasp
- seize
- …
- the reins of government
- the reins of office
- the reins of power
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French rene, based on Latin retinere ‘retain’.
Idioms
give/allow somebody/something free/full rein | give/allow free/full rein to something
to give somebody complete freedom of action; to allow a feeling to be expressed freely 对…不加约束；放任自由；充分表达（感情） The designer was given free rein. 设计者可以自由发挥。 The script allows full rein to her larger-than-life acting style. 剧本允许她充分展现她那夸张的表演风格。 When I paint I just give my imagination free rein. 画画时我只是任凭想象自由驰骋。
Homophones rain | reign | reinrain 雨 - rain noun
Look at that rain! We'll be drenched if it doesn't stop. 看那场雨！如果它不停下来，我们会被淋湿的。
- rain verb
Take an umbrella—it's going to rain. 恐怕这意想不到的事故会把今天的晚宴搞糟。
- reign noun
The country changed dramatically during her long reign. 在她长期统治期间，这个国家发生了巨大的变化。
- reign verb
Henry Bolingbroke was soon to reign in England as Henry IV. 亨利·柏林布鲁克很快以亨利四世的身份在英国统治。
- rein noun
She's been given free rein to spend the money however she wants. 她可以随心所欲地花钱。
- rein verb
They should learn to rein in their opinions, otherwise they'll offend somebody. 他们应该学会控制自己的观点，否则会得罪人的。
keep a tight rein on somebody/something
to control somebody/something carefully or strictly 对…严加控制（或约束）；牢牢驾驭 It’s essential to keep a tight rein on public spending. 严格控制公共开支至关重要。