control

verb

Save Word

con·trol | \ kən-ˈtrōl

controlled; controlling

Definition of control

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study —used with for control for socioeconomic differences

control

noun, often attributive

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 plural price controlsrent controls

d : the ability of a baseball pitcher to control the location of a pitch within the strike zone

2 : restraint, reserve exercised control of his passions

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 noun Because 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

4 or less commonly Control : control key

Other Words from control Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about control

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from control

Verb

controllability \ kən-ˌtrō-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

controllable \ kən-ˈtrō-lə-bəl

\ adjective

controlment \ kən-ˈtrōl-mənt

\ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for control

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Verb

lose

Choose the Right Synonym for control

Verb

conduct, manage, control, direct mean to use one's powers to lead, guide, or dominate. conduct implies taking responsibility for the acts and achievements of a group. conducted negotiations manage implies direct handling and manipulating or maneuvering toward a desired result. manages a meat market control implies a regulating or restraining in order to keep within bounds or on a course. controlling his appetite direct implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation. directs the store's day-to-day business

Noun

power, authority, jurisdiction, control, command, sway, dominion mean the right to govern or rule or determine. power implies possession of ability to wield force, authority, or influence. the power to mold public opinion authority implies power for a specific purpose within specified limits. granted the authority to manage her estate jurisdiction applies to official power exercised within prescribed limits. the bureau having jurisdiction over parks control stresses the power to direct and restrain. you are responsible for the students under your control command implies the power to make arbitrary decisions and compel obedience. the army officer in command sway suggests the extent of exercised power or influence. the empire extended its sway over the region dominion stresses sovereign power or supreme authority. given dominion over all the animals

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Toiling under global capitalism often means alienation from the product of your labor or, at the very least, the means to shape or control it, and that discovery alone formed its own kind of despair. — New York Times, "The Rise of the Wellness App," 17 Feb. 2021 Discussions were initiated to determine the safety risk of seal oil and possible ways to control it. — Mark Thiessen, Anchorage Daily News, "Cultural ‘big deal’: Seal oil makes the menu at Kotzebue elder-care home," 17 Feb. 2021 Discussions were initiated to determine the safety risk of seal oil and possible ways to control it. — Mark Thiessen, Star Tribune, "Cultural 'big deal': Seal oil makes menu at Alaska care home," 16 Feb. 2021 The plan was to first detect the particles and then invent more complex devices that could control them and function as qubits. — Tom Simonite, Wired, "Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All," 12 Feb. 2021 But the other part of the play was the reaction of play-by-play voice Kevin Harlan, who couldn’t control himself. — cleveland, "Memorable LeBron James moments during Cleveland Cavaliers career; King James returns Monday with Lakers (photos)," 25 Jan. 2021 And scientists worry that as the coronavirus continues to spread widely around the world more variants will emerge, potentially with mutations that could undermine efforts to control it. — Erin Allday, SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus variants will prolong the pandemic. But here’s how it will end," 23 Jan. 2021 Was Swift a teenage girl whose moment was ruined by an older man who couldn’t control himself? — Nate Jones, Vulture, "All 179 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked," 11 Jan. 2021 The use of masks to control the spread of the coronavirus became a politically divisive issue last year. — Douglas Belkin, WSJ, "CDC to Require Masks on All Forms of Public Transportation," 30 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Law noted that Trump lost several states where Republicans face must-win Senate elections in next year's quest to break up Democrats' control of Congress, including in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. — Steve Peoples, Star Tribune, "Trump-McConnell feud threatens Republicans' path to power," 18 Feb. 2021 The hope is that the centralization of the 64-team tournament in just a few locales will allow for better control, monitoring and adherence to coronavirus protocols. — Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, "No. 6 Stanford women edge No. 13 Oregon, tune up for NCAA tourney," 15 Feb. 2021 The driver was charged with failure to control, willful disregard of safety on streets and failure to comply with an order. — Cheryl Higley, cleveland, "Gunshot fired into neighbor’s home: North Ridgeville police blotter," 13 Feb. 2021 Instead of touting big-name talents and inspiring pennant fever, the Sox peddle payroll flexibility, team contract control, spin rate, and exit velocity while asking fans to be patient and wait for the future. — Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, "The Red Sox still have us scratching our heads, and other thoughts," 12 Feb. 2021 Five-map series will now have an order of hardpoint, search and destroy, control, hardpoint and search again. — Sean Collins, Dallas News, "Everything you need to know before jumping into the second Call of Duty League season, including format changes, schedules and more," 10 Feb. 2021 Psychologists at Justus Liebig University Giessen found that lying was particularly associated with evidence of self-control: fewer movements of the hands, legs, and feet and less head nodding. — Christiane Gelitz, Scientific American, "Humans Are Pretty Lousy Lie Detectors," 9 Feb. 2021 With inflation rising rapidly in 1971, the Nixon administration was keen to show that the deficit was under control, which meant squeezing as much revenue out of the Troika forecast as possible. — Bruce Bartlett, The New Republic, "George Shultz, the Godfather of the Discredited Laffer Curve," 8 Feb. 2021 Inside, there are eight climate-control zones, five bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and 4,670 square feet of living space. — oregonlive, "On the market: Portland homes with an elevated outdoor escape, aka a balcony," 6 Feb. 2021

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about control

Dictionary Entries near control

Statistics for control

Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Control.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/control. Accessed 1 Mar. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for control

control

verb

English 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

noun

English 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

verb

con·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

noun

Kids 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

verb

con·trol | \ kən-ˈtrōl

controlled; controlling

Medical Definition of control

(Entry 1 of 2)

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.

control

noun

Medical 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

Keep scrolling for more

control

transitive verb

con·trol

controlled; controlling