control freak

American

a person having a strong need for control over people or situations.

control freak British

noun

a person with an obsessive need to be in control of what is happening

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of control freak

1975–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

control freak

"I can be a bit of a control freak, and I feel like as a traitor, it really is the best way to take control of the game," he said.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

I used to be a control freak where everything needed to be perfect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025

It wasn't about being necessarily a control freak, I'm an artist and I really enjoy telling stories and I think I'm really good at it.

From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2025

A control freak, the 51-year-old has been described as 'charming', an 'incredible coach', but also 'divisive'.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2024

It must suck to get to thirty thousand feet and realize that your pilot is a control freak nutjob.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023