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.
“This route goes between islands that are controlled by Iran.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 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
Their accusers tended to be wealthier individuals who controlled local institutions or had ties to the national government, and were sometimes even the women’s landlords or employers.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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.
