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

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

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

That kind of cars-and-rockets tie-up—the subject of widespread speculation among investors, and hinted at by Musk himself—would likely give him the tighter control he has long sought at Tesla.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Since then, the authorities have been extending central government control across the country, including formerly Kurdish-held areas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Burnham said the measures will give councils more power to control what businesses open in town centres.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

FSG will maintain control of the team, and will cash in on their investment if this deal is executed, reports say.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

“They’re always so convinced that they can control their own destinies. Go on, then. Walk out that door. Have a nice life.”

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

"It controls us having motivation to do things - wanting to do things," explained Laura Cuaya, one of the study's lead researchers at the University of Vienna.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The first group included 14 people who served as controls and were asked to continue eating their usual diet.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

The company’s robotaxis differ from others already on the road because they do not have driver’s controls such as a steering wheel or gas pedal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Other measures would include tightening controls on the possession, carrying and use of firearms.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The low hum and faint beeps of controls keep a steady rhythm.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

In 1914 Emanuel controlled half the Russian oil industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The researchers also carefully controlled the size and volume of the pores.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

The process is similar in principle to the way optical fibers channel light along a controlled path.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Egan-Jones rated about $2.6 billion of loans held by Walter’s insurers, the analysis showed, including debt issued by American Media Productions, a firm controlled by a Walter affiliate that owns the Dodgers’ local TV broadcaster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

By 1899, the Dukes controlled all major textile mills in the Durham area.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

A deal for Alalshikh, the co-founder of boxing promotion company Zuffa, to take a controlling stake in the Championship club had been on the table with the football regulator since May.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The finding could lead to new ways of controlling heat in advanced electronics and quantum technologies.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

The humanitarian situation also remains dire, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tents and Israel tightly controlling the entry of all goods into the territory.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Section 10301 specifically ensures anyone controlling a protocol that operates like a securities intermediary doesn’t escape Exchange Act or Bank Secrecy Act obligations, including anti-money-laundering and countering the financing of terrorism requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

She keeps interfering in a negative and controlling way.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• administer
• command
• conduct
• dominate
• govern
• handle
• lead
• manage
• manipulate
• oversee
• regulate
• rule
• run
• supervise