comptroller

American

[kuhn-troh-ler, komp-troh-ler] / kənˈtroʊ lər, kɒmpˈtroʊ lər /

noun

controller.

comptroller British

/ kənˈtrəʊlə /

noun

a variant spelling of controller, used esp as a title of any of various financial executives

"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

Other Word Forms

comptrollership noun

Etymology

Origin of comptroller

By confusion with compt

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.

Now its shadow has extended over the New York state comptroller race.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Eugene Ludwig is chair of the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity and former U.S. comptroller of the currency.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

The annulment of the PPC contract was requested last year by the office of the comptroller -- an autonomous body that examines how government money is spent.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

Brad Lander, the city's comptroller who teamed up in the Democratic primary with Mamdani to endorse each other's candidacy against Cuomo, says many Jewish New Yorkers like him are very enthusiastic about Mamdani.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

The original word, controller, is more likely to be used in business, and the fancier one, comptroller, in government.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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