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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

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

Officials, however, said favorable weather in the coming days could help in the battle to control the blazes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Swinney added that he wanted local communities to feel they have "much more control over their lives".

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“Additionally, upon the death of the disabled beneficiary the donor has control over the distribution of any remaining trust assets.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Others control the fermentation, dilute the original formulation to reduce alcohol content, or remove alcohol through methods including vacuum distillation or filtration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The flies had taken her beyond control and when she saw me her eyes opened wide in surprise, then seemed to narrow in cold rage.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

"The limbic system, sometimes called the 'reptilian brain,' controls emotion broadly speaking -- but it also has other components with distinct functions," explains Imam.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

“The allegation that Kelli manipulates or controls Jerry is false and deeply unfair. They share a loving and supportive partnership of more than 25 years,” a spokesman for Gerald and Kelli O. Ford said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

“Parents are now aware months ahead of time that these controls will exist.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

It also announced changes to its age-verification process and parental controls as well as agreeing to appoint an independent auditor to check the measures are implemented and maintained.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Miles, who turned to the scoreboard controls and forgot about me.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Risk-aversion on the part of budget-conscious studio executives means many studios have preferred to launch films through their own tightly controlled premieres instead of at festivals, which provide no guarantee of rave reviews from critics.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

His 500-year history argues that America neither invented the dollar nor has ever fully controlled it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Bank of Kunlun is ultimately controlled by China National Petroleum Corp., one of China’s largest state-owned enterprises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Using advanced biotechnology and carefully controlled light conditions, the team produced carbon-neutral, nutrient-rich Spirulina biomass containing active vitamin B12.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Such controlled fires helped to clear space in the forest for growing corn and other crops.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Earlier this year he spearheaded a consortium who attempted to acquire a controlling stake in his former club Sevilla but the bid failed.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

But a regulatory structure built for controlling individual foreign transfers is poorly suited to an era in which the U.S. needs trusted allies to co-develop, manufacture and sustain common weapons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The first word is “control”: Egg freezing has become culturally synonymous with controlling fertility and offering women agency.

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026

Because the locus coeruleus contains many of these receptors, the researchers investigated whether they play a particularly important role in controlling pain there.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

But he also suspected that if he didn’t control the fear, it might start controlling him.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

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