controlled
Americanadjective
-
held in check; curbed.
poorly controlled anger.
-
carefully regulated, tested, or verified.
a controlled experiment.
-
(of a drug) restricted by law as to possession and use.
Morphine is a controlled drug.
Etymology
Origin of controlled
First recorded in 1580–90; control ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
In his new job, he controlled criminal investigations, crime-scene investigations, internal affairs, the narcotics team and drug-analysis units.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
That money was deposited into a bank account Davis jointly controlled, according to court documents.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
This means scramblers or quadbikes will only be used for agricultural purposes and for controlled licenced sports events.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
This allows DNA-based systems to carry out controlled and repeatable tasks despite their extremely small size.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
I could see clearly how it controlled the way our community in Little Rock conducted itself.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
