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control

American  

[kuhn-trohl] / kənˈtroʊl /

verb (used with object)

• controls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• controlled,
  past participle,  past
• controlling
  present participle

1. to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate: command.

   The car is difficult to control at high speeds.

   That zone is controlled by enemy troops.

   Synonyms:

   rule, govern, manage

2. to hold in check; curb.

   to control a horse;

   to control one's emotions.

   Synonyms:

   constrain, bridle, restrain

3. to test or verify (a scientific experiment) by a parallel experiment or other standard of comparison.

4. to eliminate or prevent the flourishing or spread of.

   to control a forest fire.

5. Biology. (of an organism) to initiate an internal response to external stimuli.

6. Obsolete. to check or regulate (transactions), originally by means of a duplicate register.

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noun

• controls
  plural

1. the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command.

   Who's in control here?

   Synonyms:

   mastery, rule, reign, dominion

2. the situation of being under the regulation, domination, or command of another.

   The car is out of control.

3. check or restraint.

   Her anger is under control.

4. a legal or official means of regulation or restraint.

   to institute wage and price controls.

5. Statistics. control variable.

6. a person who acts as a check; controller.

7. a device for regulating and guiding a machine, as a motor or airplane.

8. controls, a coordinated arrangement of such devices.

9. prevention of the flourishing or spread of something undesirable.

   rodent control.

10. Biology. an organism’s ability to initiate an internal response to external stimuli (distinguished from regulation).

11. Baseball. the ability of a pitcher to throw the ball into the strike zone consistently.

    The rookie pitcher has great power but no control.

12. Philately. any device printed on a postage or revenue stamp to authenticate it as a government issue or to identify it for bookkeeping purposes.

13. a spiritual agency believed to assist a medium at a séance.

14. the supervisor to whom an espionage agent reports when in the field.

verb phrase

1. control for to account for (variables in an analysis) by limiting the data under consideration to a comparison of like things.

   to control for demographic factors.

control British  

/ kənˈtrəʊl /

verb

1. to command, direct, or rule

   to control a country

2. to check, limit, curb, or regulate; restrain

   to control one's emotions

   to control a fire

3. to regulate or operate (a machine)

4. to verify (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment in which the variable being investigated is held constant or is compared with a standard

5. 1. to regulate (financial affairs)

   2. to examine and verify (financial accounts)

6. to restrict or regulate the authorized supply of (certain substances, such as drugs)

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noun

1. power to direct or determine

   under control

   out of control

2. a means of regulation or restraint; curb; check

   a frontier control

3. (often plural) a device or mechanism for operating a car, aircraft, etc

4. a standard of comparison used in a statistical analysis or scientific experiment

5. 1. a device that regulates the operation of a machine. A dynamic control is one that incorporates a governor so that it responds to the output of the machine it regulates

   2. ( as modifier )

      control panel

      control room

6. spiritualism an agency believed to assist the medium in a séance

7. Also called: control mark. a letter, or letter and number, printed on a sheet of postage stamps, indicating authenticity, date, and series of issue

8. one of a number of checkpoints on a car rally, orienteering course, etc, where competitors check in and their time, performance, etc, is recorded

control Scientific  

/ kən-trōl′ /

1. A standard of comparison for checking or verifying the results of an experiment. In an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new drug, for example, one group of subjects (the control group) receives an inactive substance or placebo , while a comparison group receives the drug being tested.

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control Idioms  

1. see out of control; spin control.

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Usage

What does control mean? To control is to dominate or command something or someone, as in Tomas showed excellent control of his hand several weeks after his surgery. As a noun, control can refer to the act of controlling, as in I can’t stand it—my parents have total control over my life!To control is also to restrain or keep in check, as in Toddlers are not known for control over their emotions. Control can also refer to keeping something in check. When you keep your emotions under control, you still feel them but you don’t let them overwhelm you. To control can also mean to eliminate the spread of something, such as with a fire or an illness. In statistics, to control for means to compare only like data to reduce the number of variables in the comparison. Example: Who has control of the lights for tonight’s show?

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• controllability
  noun
• controllableness
  noun
• precontrol
  noun
• supercontrol
  noun
• overcontrol
  verb (used with object)
• subcontrol
  verb (used with object)
• controllable
  adjective
• controlless
  adjective
• noncontrollable
  adjective
• noncontrolled
  adjective
• noncontrolling
  adjective
• quasi-controlled
  adjective
• quasi-controlling
  adjective
• uncontrolled
  adjective
• uncontrolling
  adjective
• well-controlled
  adjective
• controllably
  adverb
• controllingly
  adverb
• noncontrollably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• controls
  plural

Participles

• controlling
  present
• controlled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• control
  simple
• controls
  simple
• have controlled
  perfect
• has controlled
  perfect
• am controlling
  progressive
• are controlling
  progressive
• is controlling
  progressive
• have been controlling
  perfect progressive
• has been controlling
  perfect progressive

Past

• controlled
  simple
• had controlled
  perfect
• was controlling
  progressive
• were controlling
  progressive
• had been controlling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will control
  simple
• will have controlled
  perfect
• will be controlling
  progressive
• will have been controlling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of control

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English co(u)ntrollen (verb), from Anglo-French contreroller “to keep a duplicate account or roll,” derivative of contrerolle (noun); see counter-, roll

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Explanation

To have control is to have the power to run something in an orderly way. A skillful teacher maintains control over students who might otherwise waste time or be disruptive. A control can also be a device used to operate a machine, like the remote control for a television. The control in an experiment is the group that gets left alone so scientists can compare "before and after" changes in other groups. The verb control means "to be in charge." If you're a group's treasurer, you control its finances. It can also mean "hold back." You might need to control your hyperactive puppy when the mail carrier comes around.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

control controls controlled controlling

"We are far too exposed to global markets we have no control over," Fahnbulleh told me.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

Earlier experimental approaches did not offer this same degree of electrical control.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026

Corporate technology leaders say they are pushing ahead with AI plans despite potential regulation under Democratic control of Congress and states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

They made numerous unsubstantiated allegations that she had exercised control over their father.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

Because the snow is shallow the sleds cut through to bare asphalt, so there is no steering, no real control.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Arrivals later fell as border controls tightened, but crossings from Libya have surged in recent years, particularly among people fleeing conflict in Sudan and seeking better economic opportunities from countries including Bangladesh.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

Nvidia controls an estimated 90 percent of the market for the chips used to train and run AI models.

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

Easing export controls on Nvidia’s Rubin and Blackwell chips is a top Beijing priority.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

The Michigan-based music publisher controls 269 compositions, includes Eminem hits like “Lose Yourself,” “The Real Slim Shady” and “Stan.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

Operators also needed to find a way to open two valves without working controls.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

These setbacks were an important part of learning whether the technology could function outside a controlled laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026

"So it's a really safe, controlled way to do it. And yeah, there might be some tears at the end of it, as, like, the relief washes over us, but it's worth it."

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

US-backed Pena, who sold his stake in the group that controlled the bank last year, had offered his resignation.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

He and Puyi spoke of studying at Oxford, an idea that the emperor raised in the summer of 1922 with the Imperial Household Department, the residual Qing bureaucracy that controlled Puyi’s allowance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

My dad felt like it was better for us to experiment in a controlled and safe setting, and while his logic made sense to me, I never took him up on his offer.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

EA is deeply rooted in Silicon Valley and counts controlling AI's dangers among its priorities.

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

They believe that future advances in controlling electrons at the space-time limit may ultimately depend more on human creativity than on the constraints imposed by nature.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026

Franz-Stefan Gady, a Vienna-based defense analyst who makes frequent trips to Ukraine, said Russian infantry have infiltrated Dobropillia, but they are a long way from controlling the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026

Researchers could also develop materials capable of controlling magnetic behavior, manipulating light, or influencing chemical reactions with greater precision.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

They knew the Cursed Toads’ magic was involved in controlling it after Petal’s death, but that first attack had been someone else’s magic entirely.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

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Related Words

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