controlled; controlling
1
2
a
: to incorporate suitable controls in
a controlled test
see also controlled experiment
b
archaic
: to check, test, or verify by evidence or experiments
: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study
—used with for
control for socioeconomic differences
often attributive
1
a
: 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 voice
c
: the regulation of economic activity especially by government directive
—usually used in plural
price controls
rent controls
d
: the ability of a baseball pitcher to control the location of a pitch within the strike zone
3
: one that controls: such as
a
: a device or mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system
the controls of the aircraft
b
: an organization that directs a spaceflight
mission control
c(1)
(2)
: one (such as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control experiment and is used as a standard of comparison
… the residents in the experimental group also seemed to have a lower rate of mortality when compared with controls …—
Ellen J. Langer and Jerry Avorn
—often used before another nounEllen J. Langer and Jerry AvornBecause patients sometimes get better or worse on their own, drug tests also need a control group to compare the new drug with standard treatment or a placebo.—Marilyn Chase
Marilyn Chase
d
: a personality or spirit believed to actuate the utterances or performances of a spiritualist medium
4
or less commonly Control
: control key
Synonyms
Examples of control in a Sentence
Verb
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.
Noun
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.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebThe Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2023
The Alabama Legislature was controlled by Republicans, so Givan needed the support of a powerful Republican, Allen Treadaway, chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and a former police officer.
—Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 28 Dec. 2023
While the Shark Tank billionaire will still control the team’s basketball operations, Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont will now be the majority owners.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2023
In retaliation, DeSantis and Republican legislators took over the district Disney had controlled for more than five decades and installed five board members loyal to the governor.
—Mike Schneider, Fortune, 27 Dec. 2023
Soldiers are controlling the flow of foot traffic with a tank and a sand barrier.
—Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Palestinian officials initially balked at the idea of returning to power in Gaza, which Hamas has controlled since 2007, in the aftermath of such a brutal war.
—Yasmeen Abutaleb, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023
Maryland is just the latest jurisdiction with its vital records online for free, according to Ganz, who said this information should not be controlled by giant companies such as Ancestry.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023
In France, tips were placed directly into a wooden box called le tronc, controlled by the proprietor.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2023
The debate over crime in D.C. reached the halls of Congress and promises to continue in the new year, with a focus on the city’s unique criminal justice system that in most ways lacks local control.
—John D. Harden, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023
There’s been no shortage of tough news for China’s economy as some of the world’s biggest brands consider or take action to shift manufacturing to friendlier shores at a time of unease about security controls, protectionism and wobbly relations between Beijing and Washington.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2023
Over the last few decades, the federal legislation that established the longevity of copyright protections was heavily influenced by the Walt Disney Company, among others, trying to keep valuable intellectual property under their control.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2023
The map for the Senate, under Democratic control by a small margin, is highly favorable to Republicans.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2023
There is a fear of living close to Gaza, even though the IDF has mostly taken control of it for now.
—Eben Brown, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2023
Despite the reductions in homicides and other violent crimes nationwide, recent polls indicate the majority of Americans believe overall crime is out of control.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Dec. 2023
Since the moon's glow is out of your control, there are other viewing tips to take into consideration when trying to spot a meteor.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
See More
Verb
But because electrons are difficult to control, this process is not suitable for large-scale chip manufacture.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2023
The Alabama Legislature was controlled by Republicans, so Givan needed the support of a powerful Republican, Allen Treadaway, chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and a former police officer.
—Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 28 Dec. 2023
While the Shark Tank billionaire will still control the team’s basketball operations, Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont will now be the majority owners.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2023
In retaliation, DeSantis and Republican legislators took over the district Disney had controlled for more than five decades and installed five board members loyal to the governor.
—Mike Schneider, Fortune, 27 Dec. 2023
Soldiers are controlling the flow of foot traffic with a tank and a sand barrier.
—Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Palestinian officials initially balked at the idea of returning to power in Gaza, which Hamas has controlled since 2007, in the aftermath of such a brutal war.
—Yasmeen Abutaleb, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023
Maryland is just the latest jurisdiction with its vital records online for free, according to Ganz, who said this information should not be controlled by giant companies such as Ancestry.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023
In France, tips were placed directly into a wooden box called le tronc, controlled by the proprietor.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Noun
The deception begins to spiral out of control as Coral convinces others that Jay isn’t dead.
—Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2023
The debate over crime in D.C. reached the halls of Congress and promises to continue in the new year, with a focus on the city’s unique criminal justice system that in most ways lacks local control.
—John D. Harden, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023
There’s been no shortage of tough news for China’s economy as some of the world’s biggest brands consider or take action to shift manufacturing to friendlier shores at a time of unease about security controls, protectionism and wobbly relations between Beijing and Washington.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2023
Over the last few decades, the federal legislation that established the longevity of copyright protections was heavily influenced by the Walt Disney Company, among others, trying to keep valuable intellectual property under their control.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2023
The map for the Senate, under Democratic control by a small margin, is highly favorable to Republicans.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2023
There is a fear of living close to Gaza, even though the IDF has mostly taken control of it for now.
—Eben Brown, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2023
Despite the reductions in homicides and other violent crimes nationwide, recent polls indicate the majority of Americans believe overall crime is out of control.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Dec. 2023
Since the moon's glow is out of your control, there are other viewing tips to take into consideration when trying to spot a meteor.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'control.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
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
Phrases Containing control
Dictionary Entries Near control
Cite this Entry
“Control.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/control. Accessed 12 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
control
1 of 2 verb
con·trol
kən-ˈtrōl 
controlled; controlling
1
a
: to keep within limits : restrain
control your temper
b
: to direct the action of
control a plane
2
: to have power over : rule
3
: to reduce the number of individuals or cases especially to a level that is not dangerous
control insects
control a disease
control
2 of 2 noun1
: the power or authority to control
2
: ability to control
the car went out of control
keep control of a situation
3
a
: a means for controlling
the controls of an airplane
price controls
b
: an organization that directs a flight beyond the earth's atmosphere
mission control
4
b
: one (as an organism or group) that is part of a control experiment and is used as a standard of comparison
5
: reduction in or regulation of the number of individuals or cases in an area
disease control
Medical Definition
control
1 of 2 verb
con·trol
kən-ˈtrōl
controlled; controlling
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
: 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.
Howard Bauchner et al.control
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of controlling something
control of acute intermittent porphyria
2
: one that is used in controlling something: as
a
: 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
b
: one (as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control
Legal Definition
control
transitive verb
con·trol
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
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on 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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