remote control

American  

noun

1. control of the operation or performance of an apparatus from a distance, as the control of a guided missile by radio signals.

2. Also called remote.  a device used to control the operation of an apparatus or machine, as a television set, from a distance.

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remote control British  

noun

1. control of a system or activity by a person at a different place, usually by means of radio or ultrasonic signals or by electrical signals transmitted by wire

2. Also:: remote.  a hand-held device that enables remote control of a system or appliance

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Other Word Forms

• remote-control adjective
• remote-controlled adjective

Etymology

Origin of remote control

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

He kind of needed one because residents always wanted something from him— stamps, or batteries for their remote controls, or shoe polish—and it was hard to keep track.

From Literature

Using a simple remote control, you cycle through six heat levels and can set a timer in one-hour increments.

From The Wall Street Journal

But does he believe that he can govern Venezuela by remote control?

From BBC

The operator drives it by remote control into the back of a van which takes it closer to the frontline to preserve its battery.

From BBC

The device itself wasn’t plastic, like a remote control, but it wasn’t metal either.

From Literature