(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
Reins are the thin leather straps attached round a horse’s neck which are used to control the horse.
N-PLURAL
2.
Journalists sometimes use the expression the ~s or the ~s of power to refer to the control of a country or organization.
He was determined to see the party keep a hold on the ~s of power...
N-PLURAL: oft the N of n
3.
If you give free ~ to someone, you give them a lot of freedom to do what they want.
The government continued to believe it should give free ~ to the private sector in transport.
PHRASE: V inflects
4.
If you keep a tight ~ on someone, you control them firmly.
Her parents had kept her on a tight ~ with their narrow and inflexible views.
PHRASE: V inflects