What does "reeve" mean?
Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
Reeve
/ɹiːv/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
- Grammar: reeve is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: administer, administrator, alderman, archon.
- Useful contrasts: abdicate, misgovern, neglect.
- Usage evidence: Their small town had a reeve instead of a mayor.
How to use "reeve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reeve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "reeve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "reeve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "reeve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "reeve" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "administer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "reeve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities. historical
"His first convert was the reeve of the city of Lincoln called Blæcca, ..."
- 2 A female of the species Philomachus pugnax, a highly gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; the male is a ruff.
- 3 female ruff wordnet
- 4 The president of a township or municipal district council. Canada
- 5 The holder of a proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force, equivalent to wing commander. historical
"A list of new titles was manufactured as follows: Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Reeve, Banneret, Fourth-Ardian, Third-Ardian, Second-Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal. […] “Reeve”, perhaps, savoured a little too much of legal authority."
Verb
- 1 To pass (a rope) through a hole or opening, especially so as to fasten it. dialectal
""Let the rope go," he says. With his other hand he reaches down and reeves the two turns from the stanchion."
- 2 fasten by passing through a hole or around something wordnet
- 3 pass through a hole or opening wordnet
- 4 pass a rope through wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation for a bailiff.
- 2 An unincorporated community in Vance Creek, Barron County, Wisconsin, United States.
Example
"Their small town had a reeve instead of a mayor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reeve"?
Common synonyms include: administer, administrator, alderman, archon, bailie, bailiff.
How do you use "reeve" in a sentence?
Their small town had a reeve instead of a mayor.
How do you pronounce "reeve"?
Pronounced /ɹiːv/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English reve, from Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa (also groefa), from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō (“officer, official”). Compare Danish greve, Swedish greve, Dutch graaf, German Graf. The role, and eventually the word, was mostly replaced by bailiff, of Anglo-Norman origin.
Etymology 2
Apparent alternative form of reef (“to pull or yank strongly”, verb) or from Dutch reven (“to take in, insert”).
Etymology 3
Variant of dialectal ree, but of obscure ultimate origin.
Etymology 4
* As an English surname, from the noun reeve. * As an Irish surname, variant of Reeves.