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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.

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.

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.

6 dominion, reign, rule, mastery.

See synonyms for control on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

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Origin of control

1425–75; late Middle English co(u)ntrollen (v.) <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, 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. 2022

How to use control in a sentence

They are always suspended over a precipice, dangling by a slender thread that shows every sign of snapping.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps on his own nowadays, Epstein is trying his best to webmaster over a dozen URLs.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But yes, I pictured a James Bond-type just sauntering over to her.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The debate over who really pulled off the Sony hack, then, could continue indefinitely.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is most peculiar, and when he plays that way, the most bewitching little expression comes over his face.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
All over the world the just claims of organized labor are intermingled with the underground conspiracy of social revolution.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
After we had passed over this desert, we found several garisons to defend the caravans from the violence of the Tartars.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
After relievedly giving the pistol to the nearest soldier, he stumbled quickly over to Brion and took his hand.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)

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

Medical definitions for control

control

[ kən-trōl′ ]

To verify or regulate a scientific experiment by conducting a parallel experiment or by comparing with another standard.

To hold in restraint; check.

A standard of comparison for checking or verifying the results of an experiment.

An individual or group used as a standard of comparison in a control experiment.

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

Medical definitions for control

Scientific definitions for control

Other Idioms and Phrases with control