MYB is one of the more abundant classes of transcription factors in plants. Its family members play important regulatory roles in all stages of rice reproduction and in a wide range of adversity stresses. For example， it is involved in the regulation of processes such as root development， cell development， secondary cell wall synthesis， tiller development and elongation， floral organ differentiation and development， spike morphogenesis， seed development， the metabolism of various hormones， the synthesis and metabolism of secondary metabolites and biotic and abiotic stress responses. This review describes the classification of the MYB transcription factor family and the protein structures of the different subgroups， and summarizes the recent research progress of MYB family members in growth and development and hormone signalling in the subsurface and aboveground parts of rice. The regulatory roles of MYB family members on rice under abiotic stress conditions such as drought， high temperature， low temperature， high salt and UV damage were highlighted， and the defence role played by MYB genes against biotic stresses such as fungi and pathogens was explored. Finally， throughout the recent progress of research on the MYB transcription factor in rice，we summarized three shortcomings of the latest research progress on MYB transcription factors in rice and proposed three directions for future research on MYB transcription factors.