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Glite Dictionary
reigning

reigning

4.9
Currently holding a title or position with real power
  • adjective
  • /ˈreɪnɪŋ/
translation icon : reinante
  • The reigning champion defended his title against all challengers during the tournament.

And in the movie Tommy, the rival of Tommy, the reigning pinball champ, was Elton John.

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Examples

  • Recently, last year, there was a lot of excitement as DeepMind Alpha Go beat the reigning European Go champion.

  • Did you guys know that I am the reigning BuzzFeed spelling bee champion?

  • All right, all right, make some noise now for the reigning champ and see small.

  • And you are officially our new reigning Mystery Box champion.

  • Oh my God, we're here today to challenge the reigning Mystery Tech champ.

    Austin Evans

  • Just crazy that Lanny wants to do that to the reigning national champs.

  • With the One MW package, this car is also the reigning champ for the world's fastest production car.

  • HE IS THE REIGNING WCW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

    Ready to Rumble (2000)

  • She is the reigning queen, known for her leadership and dedication to her people.

  • After months of competition, he was proud to be recognized as the reigning titleholder in the martial arts league.

Synonyms

regnant
vsreigning
  • Formal
9.9

Having power as a ruler or leading force

covers power more broadly including title holders and competitive contexts
ruling
vsreigning
3.9

In control of a country, organization, or group

applies more broadly to current holders of power including titles and competitions

Compounds

reigning beauty queen
4.5

A person who currently holds the title of a beauty contest

Surface Forms

reigning positive

Morphology

reigning = reign (transparent) = reign + ing

Standard adjectival use of the present participle from 'reign' meaning 'currently holding power', which is directly inferable from the base verb.

Etymology

Reigning comes from an old root reg- that means 'rule' or 'king', the same root you see in regal. So a reigning leader is someone who is currently 'ruling' and holding a title.