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con·trol | \ kən-ˈtrōl 
\
\controlled; controlling
Definition of control
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to exercise restraining or directing influence over : regulate control one's anger
b : 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
2a : 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 forcontrol for socioeconomic differences
Definition of control (Entry 2 of 2)
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 voice
c : the regulation of economic activity especially by government directive
—usually used in pluralprice controlsrent 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) : control experiment
(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 nounBecause 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
d : a personality or spirit believed to actuate the utterances or performances of a spiritualist medium
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Other Words from control
Verb
controllability \ kən-ˌtrō-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē \ noun
\ nouncontrollable \ kən-ˈtrō-lə-bəl \ adjective
\ adjectivecontrolment \ kən-ˈtrōl-mənt \ noun
\ nounSynonyms & Antonyms for control
Synonyms: Verb
- bridle,
- check,
- constrain,
- contain,
- curb,
- govern,
- hold,
- inhibit,
- keep,
- measure,
- pull in,
- regulate,
- rein (in),
- restrain,
- rule,
- tame
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb On the macro level, restricting travel is not a good way of controlling disease.
—
Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "What You Need to Know About Coronavirus and Travel," 1 Feb. 2020 In other platforms that apps are controlled from the OS provider, if an app breaks any privacy rule or a security breach then immediately it is removed from any Store.
—
Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft shovels more dirt on UWP apps, leaving Win32 apps as the future once again," 31 Jan. 2020 Dershowitz cites the legal arguments of Benjamin Curtis as a controlling precedent.
—
Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "Dershowitz’s Dangerous Defense of Trump," 31 Jan. 2020 McCusker suspects that the gelatin bead got in the way of cells that control the limb’s pattern.
—
Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, "Some Salamanders Can Regrow Lost Body Parts. Could Humans One Day Do the Same?," 31 Jan. 2020 But public health experts worry that countries there may not be as equipped to detect cases and control the potential transmission of the virus as many countries with stronger health infrastructure.
—
Andrew Joseph, STAT, "WHO declares coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency," 30 Jan. 2020 Genetically modifying the moths could also reintroduce vulnerabilities to less stringent chemicals, meaning the moths could potentially be more controlled with less powerful chemicals.
—
Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Pesticides Can't Control This Pesky Moth, So Scientists Are Turning To Genetics," 29 Jan. 2020 Still, Gaskell says that development is strictly controlled and that tourism sites are carefully selected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).
—
Kris Fordham, Condé Nast Traveler, "Australia's First Underwater Hotel Lets You Sleep Next to Fish in the Great Barrier Reef," 21 Jan. 2020 Angola’s diamond trading company, known as Sodiam, and a Congolese businessman married to Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the country’s then-president, had bought a controlling stake in the struggling jeweler the year before.
—
Ben Hallman, Quartz Africa, "How Western advisers helped an autocrat’s daughter amass and shield a fortune," 19 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Okudah draws high marks for his body control and ability to use his hips to maintain coverage.
—
Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Where will Ohio State football’s Jeff Okudah be taken in NFL Draft 2020?," 4 Feb. 2020 Just 11 days before Scott’s dinghy was found on July 30, authorities learned Scott had added a stepdaughter to his bank accounts, giving her control to make withdrawals.
—
al, "Did Jacob Scott Blair’s family know he faked his death?," 4 Feb. 2020 Having consolidated his control over the Republican Party in New Hampshire and fielded a robust statewide operation, President Trump begins a 2020 bid to flip the state.
—
David M. Drucker, Washington Examiner, "Trump unites New Hampshire GOP operation behind him in bid to flip state he lost in 2016," 4 Feb. 2020 Last year’s financial results could lend more weight to arguments that a handful of companies, with dominant market shares and outgunned competition, are unfairly cashing in on their control.
—
Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, "The Gap Between the Haves and Have-Nots of Tech Widens," 3 Feb. 2020 However, Maduro remains in control, having faced down a coup attempt, a brief renewal of mass anti-government protests and U.S. sanctions.
—
Greg Norman | Fox News, Fox News, "Venezuela’s Guaido hoping to score meeting with Trump in Florida this weekend," 1 Feb. 2020 Charity watchdogs for years have raised concerns about the blurred lines between for-profit businesses tied to Sekulow and the complex web of non-profit entities he and his family control.
—
Michael Biesecker, Fortune, "Charities steered $65 million to Trump lawyer Sekulow and family," 31 Jan. 2020 My body would betray me in ways that were funny and not always in my control.
—
Dan Snierson, EW.com, "Avenue 5 star Zach Woods on the joke he told that fills him with shame — and the best heckle he's received," 31 Jan. 2020 Brady is always in control and knows exactly what’s going to happen next.
—
Andy Nesbitt, For The Win, "Tom Brady's cryptic tweet sure felt like a desperate plea for attention," 31 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for control
control
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of control
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to direct the behavior of (a person or animal) : to cause (a person or animal) to do what you want
: to have power over (something)
: to direct the actions or function of (something) : to cause (something) to act or function in a certain way
control
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of control (Entry 2 of 2)
: the power to make decisions about how something is managed or done
: the ability to direct the actions of someone or something
: an action, method, or law that limits the amount or growth of something
See the full definition for control in the English Language Learners Dictionary
control
verbcon·trol | \ kən-ˈtrōl \
\controlled; controlling
Kids Definition of control
(Entry 1 of 2)
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?
control
nounKids Definition of control (Entry 2 of 2)
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 sense 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
control
verbcon·trol | \ kən-ˈtrōl \
\controlled; controlling
Medical Definition of control
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
control
nounMedical Definition of control (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : 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
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control
transitive verbcon·trol
controlled; controlling
Legal Definition of control
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
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Time Traveler for control
The first known use of control was in 1523
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