controller
Americannoun
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controllers
plural
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an employee, often an officer, of a business firm who checks expenditures, finances, etc.; comptroller.
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a person who regulates, directs, or restrains.
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British Aeronautics. a dispatcher.
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a regulating mechanism; governor.
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Also called control unit, processor. Computers. the key component of a device, as a terminal, printer, or external storage unit, that contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute instructions fed into the device.
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Digital Technology. a remote piece of hardware used to direct or control an electronic device.
a video game controller.
noun
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a person who directs, regulates, or restrains
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Also called: comptroller. a business executive or government officer who is responsible for financial planning, control, etc
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the equipment concerned with controlling the operation of an electrical device
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of controller
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English countrollour, from Anglo-French countrero(u)llour, Middle French contrerolleur, equivalent to contrerolle “duplicate roll” + -eur, -our, from Latin -ōr- or -ātōr- noun suffixes; see control, -or 2, -ator
Explanation
The device that's used to operate a tool or machine is a controller. When you play video games, you move your character around on screen using a joystick or controller. A controller is any object or person that controls something. An air traffic controller is a person who usually works in a control tower at an airport and is in charge of monitoring and directing pilots to make sure planes take off and land safely. Another kind of human controller, also known as a comptroller, is the person in charge of accounting and finances at a business or organization. These controllers have the important job of being in control of the money.
Vocabulary lists containing controller
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:
As drivers ratchet up to Sport and Race modes on the manettino controller, the active exhaust valves allow more volume and breathy resonance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The air traffic controller tried to direct the pilot to the nearest airport — Paso Robles, about 60 miles away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
She, much like the person behind the proverbial controller, is dropped into a world quickly becoming overrun by a viral plague with no idea what to do.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The physical design had improved, but the robot's controller remained a major limitation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Max has pulled out a second controller in the meantime.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
They have become a hallmark of modern devices, with smartphones, watches and video game controllers among those containing small motors that move in response to specific electronic signals.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Because the first maneuver was so accurate, mission controllers can wait longer before making the follow-up adjustment, which is now scheduled for later this month.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
“This is dangerous for European security,” said Jaworska-Maćkowiak, adding that she was working to secure loans to cover next year’s budget, including money needed to train new controllers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Marvell refers to its custom chips as XPUs, and to the components that support them in data centers — such as networking and storage controllers — as XPU attach.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Leaping from their seats, controllers cheered, hugged, and cried.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
