controller
Americannoun
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controllers
plural
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an employee, often an officer, of a business firm who checks expenditures, finances, etc.; comptroller.
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a person who regulates, directs, or restrains.
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British Aeronautics. a dispatcher.
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a regulating mechanism; governor.
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Also called control unit, processor. Computers. the key component of a device, as a terminal, printer, or external storage unit, that contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute instructions fed into the device.
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Digital Technology. a remote piece of hardware used to direct or control an electronic device.
a video game controller.
noun
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a person who directs, regulates, or restrains
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Also called: comptroller. a business executive or government officer who is responsible for financial planning, control, etc
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the equipment concerned with controlling the operation of an electrical device
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of controller
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English countrollour, from Anglo-French countrero(u)llour, Middle French contrerolleur, equivalent to contrerolle “duplicate roll” + -eur, -our, from Latin -ōr- or -ātōr- noun suffixes; see control, -or 2, -ator
Explanation
The device that's used to operate a tool or machine is a controller. When you play video games, you move your character around on screen using a joystick or controller. A controller is any object or person that controls something. An air traffic controller is a person who usually works in a control tower at an airport and is in charge of monitoring and directing pilots to make sure planes take off and land safely. Another kind of human controller, also known as a comptroller, is the person in charge of accounting and finances at a business or organization. These controllers have the important job of being in control of the money.
Vocabulary lists containing controller
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.
See Examples For:
The air traffic controller later confirmed the pilot had declared an emergency.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
“I’ll partner with the controller to identify repeat patterns in liability so that we proactively advise work with the departments on compliance and corrective action so we avoid future liability.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As drivers ratchet up to Sport and Race modes on the manettino controller, the active exhaust valves allow more volume and breathy resonance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
She, much like the person behind the proverbial controller, is dropped into a world quickly becoming overrun by a viral plague with no idea what to do.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
And with my right hand, I feel around in the dark until I find the controller, then the dial, and then the little switch.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
FAA chief Bryan Bedford has said he was authorized legally to withhold 2.8% of the increase as an incentive to get productivity gains from controllers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
They have become a hallmark of modern devices, with smartphones, watches and video game controllers among those containing small motors that move in response to specific electronic signals.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Instead, their experience will remain available to astronauts, engineers, flight controllers, and others working on the next stages of NASA's human spaceflight program.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Newbies will have to parse the gear thingy in the console, three controllers meant to evoke the gated shifters of yore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
These triumphant landings were due in considerable part to the great skill invested in their design, fabrication and testing, and to the abilities of the spacecraft controllers.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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