Main Entry: ¹con·trol

Pronunciation: \kən-ˈtrōl\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): con·trolled; con·trol·ling

transitive verb

1 : to incorporate suitable controls in <a controlled experiment>
2 : to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous levels <control an insect population> <a vaccine for controlling outbreaks of cholera>

intransitive verb

: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study—used with for <failure to control for the difference in the rate of smoking between the two groups—Howard Bauchner et al>