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:
After her death was announced, the then-BBC director general Tim Davie paid tribute to her as "a broadcasting icon", while Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya described her as "warm, fearless and beloved by listeners".
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Areti Anastopoulos, an air traffic controller for more than 30 years, helps approaching pilots to line up their planes, one behind the other, before they touch down on the tarmac.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
I note that the Model Y retains a conventional turn-signal stalk, while previous designs, like Cybertruck, placed the turn-signal controller on the steering wheel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Its role resembles that of an air traffic controller overseeing a crowded airport.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
He stared at the screen, not even glancing at me, and howled, all the while pounding away at his controller.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
"No matter how sophisticated your controllers, in the end it's a human operator that sets the parameters for that control," Farre Kaga said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
In practice, this is meant to allow controllers to reduce the distance between landing aircraft, particularly in high winds, and get them on the ground more quickly.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“We just lost our right engine and would like to declare an emergency,” a Coast Guard pilot radioed controllers on the ground, according to audio from the incident.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
During the first part of the mission, Roman communicates with controllers using the Near Space Network, a system of ground stations and relay satellites that handles tracking, telemetry, and commands.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Various numbers controllers, Small’s regulars, had offered me jobs as a runner.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
