remote control

American  

noun

1. control of the operation or performance of an apparatus from a distance, as the control of a guided missile by radio signals.

2. Also called remote.  a device used to control the operation of an apparatus or machine, as a television set, from a distance.

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remote control British  

noun

1. control of a system or activity by a person at a different place, usually by means of radio or ultrasonic signals or by electrical signals transmitted by wire

2. Also:: remote.  a hand-held device that enables remote control of a system or appliance

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Other Word Forms

• remote-control adjective
• remote-controlled adjective

Etymology

Origin of remote control

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The operator drives it by remote control into the back of a van which takes it closer to the frontline to preserve its battery.

From BBC

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—From the cab of his tow truck, George Dowdy clicked a remote control to slide the boom under a parked Chevy Trax and grab its front tires.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The economy is being run by remote control from the United States," former president Cristina Kirchner said Friday from her Buenos Aires apartment, where she is under house arrest for corruption.

From Barron's

Wielding a remote control that brought up a succession of graphs, she sought to persuade activists - and the voters at home - that "anyone with half a brain can see that won't cut bills".

From BBC

The Israeli media has also reported that the IDF has used damaged armoured vehicles, packed with explosives, and fitted with remote control capabilities, to attack Hamas positions or destroy buildings being used to hide fighters.

From BBC