Definition of control
controlled
;controlling
transitive verb
1a archaic : to check, test, or verify by evidence or experimentsb : to incorporate suitable controls in a controlled experiment
2a : to exercise restraining or directing influence over : regulate control one's angerb : to have power over : rule A single company controls the industry.c : to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous levels control an insect population control a disease
intransitive verb
: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study —used with for control for socioeconomic differences
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Examples of control in a Sentence
The parents could not control their child.
The police controlled the crowd.
The small boy could not control the big dog.
Her family controls the business.
One country controls the whole island.
The rebel army now controls nearly half the country.
The lights on stage are controlled by this computer.
She struggled to control the cart as it rolled before her down the steep, bumpy road.
He controlled the volume by turning the radio's knob.
A thermostat controls the room's temperature.
Recent Examples of control from the Web
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That report found some evidence that controlling blood pressure, exercise and some forms of brain training — keeping intellectually stimulated — might work and couldn't hurt.
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Controlling high blood pressure, a strategy that helps preserve the health of blood vessels in the brain, is most effective if begun in middle age, the NAS report explained.
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The bad news is that in the last three midterm elections (2006, 2010 and 2014), the average House incumbent representing the party that controlled the White House suffered a negative swing of twelve points.
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Under interim peace accords, Israel still controls 60 percent of the West Bank, where most of its settlements are located.
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DuPage County also works to control the feral cat population by trapping and neutering the cats.
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The governor's initial proposal was to house the advocate at the Department of Administrative Services, which is controlled by the governor and plays a key role in implementing the governor's agenda.
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Where the protest will take place: Sites that support net neutrality will call attention to their cause by simulating what users would experience if telecom companies were allowed to control web access.
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Those ultra-Orthodox partners also control Israel's Chief Rabbinate.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'control.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of control
Middle English countrollen, from Anglo-French contrerouler, from contreroule copy of an account, audit, from Medieval Latin contrarotulus, from Latin contra- + Medieval Latin rotulus roll — more at roll
Synonym Discussion of control
control
Definition of control
1a : an act or instance of controlling; also : power or authority to guide or manage He took control of the family business.b : skill in the use of a tool, instrument, technique, or artistic medium a singer's control of her voicec : the regulation of economic activity especially by government directive —usually used in plural price controls rent controlsd : the ability of a baseball pitcher to control the location of a pitch within the strike zone
3 : one that controls: such asa (1) : an experiment in which the subjects are treated as in a parallel experiment except for omission of the procedure or agent under test and which is used as a standard of comparison in judging experimental effects —called also control experiment (2) : one (such as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a controlb : a device or mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system the controls of the aircraftc : an organization that directs a spaceflight mission controld : a personality or spirit believed to actuate the utterances or performances of a spiritualist medium
4 or less commonly Control : control key
Examples of control in a Sentence
The city wanted local control of education.
The tribes fought for control over the territory.
He took control of the family farm.
She hired an accountant to take control of her money.
He lost all muscle control in his left arm.
The soccer player showed good control of the ball.
a teacher with good control of her students
The farmer used an organic pest control on his crops.
To cut down on competition, the government passed price controls on prescription drugs.
The President wants stricter controls on immigration.
Recent Examples of control from the Web
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Heat until thermometer registers 275°, adjusting vents on bottom and top of grill or control knobs as needed to maintain temperature.
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A UC Berkeley study of California’s local land-use regulations found that every growth-control policy a city puts in place raises housing costs by as much as 5% there.
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In his dogged pursuit of second place late in the race, Sato hit a small ditch in the track, let his wheel drop into the grass and lost control of his car.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'control.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of control
see 1control
Synonym Discussion of control
Other Occult Terms
CONTROL Defined for English Language Learners
control
playDefinition of control for English Language Learners
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: to direct the behavior of (a person or animal) : to cause (a person or animal) to do what you want
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: to have power over (something)
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: to direct the actions or function of (something) : to cause (something) to act or function in a certain way
control
Definition of control for English Language Learners
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: the power to make decisions about how something is managed or done
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: the ability to direct the actions of someone or something
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: an action, method, or law that limits the amount or growth of something
CONTROL Defined for Kids
Definition of control for Students
controlled
;controlling
1 : to have power over "Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors…" — Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief
2 : to direct the actions or behavior of Police can control a crowd.
3 : to keep within bounds : restrain Learn to control your temper.
4 : to direct the function of How do you control this machine?
History for control
In medieval England, records were kept in a variety of French. In this variety of French, a contreroule, or “counter-roll,” was a piece of parchment on which payments and receipts were written down. The verb contrerouler meant to check the original records against the “counter-roll” to be sure no mistakes were made. These two words were the source of our noun and verb control. The sense “checking for mistakes” survives in the way we use control to mean something used to check the results of a scientific experiment.
Definition of control for Students
1 : the power or authority to manage The city wanted local control of education.
2 : ability to keep within bounds or direct the operation of The fire is out of control. He lost control of the car.
3 : self-restraint I lost control and started yelling.
4 : regulation 2 price controls
5 : a device used to start, stop, or change the operation of a machine or system a radio control
6 : something that is not treated or exposed to testing in an experiment in order to serve as a comparison to others that have undergone treatment or exposure
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of control
controlled
;controlling
1
transitive verb
: to incorporate suitable controls in a controlled experiment2: 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
control
Medical Definition of control
1: an act or instance of controlling something control of acute intermittent porphyria
2: one that is used in controlling something: asa: an experiment in which the subjects are treated as in a parallel experiment except for omission of the procedure or agent under test and which is used as a standard of comparison in judging experimental effects—called also control experimentb: one (as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control
Law Dictionary
control
Legal Definition of control
controlled
controlling
1 : to exercise restraining or directing influence over especially by law
2 : to have power or authority over precedent controls the outcome in this case
3 : to have controlling interest in
control
nounLearn More about control
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See words that rhyme with control Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for control Spanish Central: Translation of control Nglish: Translation of control for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of control for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about control
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