control

[ kuhn-trohl ]

/ kənˈtroʊl /

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See synonyms for: control / controlled / controlling / controls on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), con·trolled, con·trol·ling.

to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate: command: The car is difficult to control at high speeds.That zone is controlled by enemy troops.

to hold in check; curb: to control a horse;to control one's emotions.

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

to eliminate or prevent the flourishing or spread of: to control a forest fire.

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

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

noun

the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command: Who's in control here?

the situation of being under the regulation, domination, or command of another: The car is out of control.

check or restraint: Her anger is under control.

a legal or official means of regulation or restraint: to institute wage and price controls.

Statistics. control variable (def. 1).

a person who acts as a check; controller.

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

controls, a coordinated arrangement of such devices.

prevention of the flourishing or spread of something undesirable: rodent control.

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

Baseball. the ability of a pitcher to throw the ball into the strike zone consistently: The rookie pitcher has great power but no control.

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

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

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

Verb Phrases

control for, Statistics. to account for (variables in an analysis) by limiting the data under consideration to a comparison of like things: to control for demographic factors.

OTHER WORDS FOR control

1 manage, govern, rule.

2 restrain, bridle, constrain.

7 dominion, reign, rule, mastery.

See synonyms for control on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM control

con·trol·la·ble, adjective, nouncon·trol·la·bil·i·ty

[kuhn-troh-luh-bil-i-tee], /kənˌtroʊ ləˈbɪl ɪ ti/, con·trol·la·ble·ness, nouncon·trol·la·bly, adverbcon·trol·less, adjective

con·trol·ling·ly, adverbnon·con·trol·la·ble, adjectivenon·con·trol·la·bly, adverbnon·con·trolled, adjectivenon·con·trol·ling, adjectiveo·ver·con·trol, verb (used with object), o·ver·con·trolled, o·ver·con·trol·ling, nounpre·con·trol, noun, verb (used with object), pre·con·trolled, pre·con·trol·ling.qua·si-con·trolled, adjectivequa·si-con·trol·ling, adjectivesub·con·trol, verb (used with object), sub·con·trolled, sub·con·trol·ling.su·per·con·trol, nounun·con·trolled, adjectiveun·con·trol·ling, adjectivewell-con·trolled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use control in a sentence

We're committed to doing things to get everything under control so our student-athletes in the sport of football can get back to doing what they love to do, and that's playing this game.
Maryland football is ‘committed to getting back,’ but timeline for return is unclear|Emily Giambalvo|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
He told her she needed birth control pills for a cyst the size of a toenail on her left ovary.
Congressional Dems say women in ICE custody who blew whistle on gynecologist should be able to apply for special visas|Teo Armus|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
He tried to eject when he lost control of the jet but did so too late, Navy investigators have reportedly said.
Blue Angels jet gets a new home at Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum|By Michael E. Ruane|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Across the world, from Australia to Taiwan to Norway, countries have used tighter border controls, aggressive contact-tracing, and targeted lockdowns to drive down their infection rates.
Restaurants and the People Who Work in Them Need a Bailout. Let’s Finally Give Them One.|Meghan McCarron|November 19, 2020|Eater

Investigators said Toure was thrown from a vehicle in a single-car crash after the driver lost control of the vehicle.
Police identify victims killed in separate crashes|Clarence Williams|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
But the answers to these questions go beyond merely controlling what children watch.
A Rallying Cry Against the Oversexualization of Our Youth|Darryl Roberts|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Controlling the corridor was essential to supporting deep operations elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So who and what exactly are we protecting and controlling by the gun regulations we have and those being discussed?
What Are We Protecting with Gun Laws?|Jessica Solce|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the late 1980s, Hawking began to grow close to his redheaded, controlling nurse, Elaine Mason.
The Other Side of Stephen Hawking: Strippers, Aliens, and Disturbing Abuse Claims|Marlow Stern|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mary Williams filed an appeal to the IRS in tax court last year, blaming her “controlling, abusive” husband for the problem.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The controlling leaders being out of gear the machine did not run smoothly: there was nothing but friction and tension.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
P is a pallet controlling the admission of air into the body of the pipe P1.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
"It is some time since I read the play," returned Hartledon, controlling his temper under an assumption of indifference.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Likewise, he owned the stage line and franchise, controlling the only right of way by which a railroad could reach up the valley.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for control

control

/ (kənˈtrəʊl) /

verb -trols, -trolling or -trolled (tr)

to command, direct, or ruleto control a country

to check, limit, curb, or regulate; restrainto control one's emotions; to control a fire

to regulate or operate (a machine)

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

to regulate (financial affairs)
to examine and verify (financial accounts)

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

noun

power to direct or determineunder control; out of control

a means of regulation or restraint; curb; checka frontier control

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

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

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
(as modifier)control panel; control room

spiritualism an agency believed to assist the medium in a séance

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

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

Derived forms of control

controllable, adjectivecontrollability or controllableness, nouncontrollably, adverb

Word Origin for control

C15: from Old French conteroller to regulate, from contrerolle duplicate register, system of checking, from contre- counter- + rolle roll

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for control

control

[ kən-trōl′ ]

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with control

control

see out of control; spin control.

control

OTHER WORDS FOR control

Origin of control

OTHER WORDS FROM control

Words related to control

How to use control in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for control

Derived forms of control

Word Origin for control

Scientific definitions for control

Other Idioms and Phrases with control