controller

noun

con·​trol·​ler kən-ˈtrō-lər  ˈkän-ˌtrō- 

1

a

: comptroller sense 1

b

: comptroller sense 2

c

: the chief accounting officer of a business enterprise or an institution (such as a college)

2

a

: one that controls or has power or authority to control

air traffic controller

b

: control sense 3a

controllership

kən-ˈtrō-lər-ˌship 

ˈkän-ˌtrō-

noun

Synonyms

• regulator
• control

Examples of controller in a Sentence

the controllers for the video game system seem fairly well designed

Recent Examples on the Web

Birds play vital roles in ecosystems and for people, serving as pollinators, seed dispersers, pest controllers, scavengers and ecosystem engineers, the IUCN said. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025

Those ports can be used to play additional titles and, with the right adapter, to connect original Intellivision controllers. —Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

The controller from the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center then tried to reach the pilots seven times with no response. —Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025

Meta recently announced its own take on waveguide glasses, the $799 Ray-Ban Display, which goes a step further than the Rokid Glasses with a full-color display instead of monochrome green and a new Neural Band wearable controller. —PC Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English countreroller, from Anglo-French contreroulur, from contreroule

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing controller

• air traffic controller
• forward air controller

Rhymes for controller

• bipolar
• comptroller
• dipolar
• gaoler
• nonpolar
• premolar
• ambipolar
• areolar
• bronchiolar
• circumpolar
• equimolar
• monopolar

Kids Definition

controller

noun

con·​trol·​ler kən-ˈtrō-lər  ˈkän-ˌtrō-lər 

1

: the chief accounting officer of a business or institution

2

: a person who controls

an air traffic controller

3

: control entry 2 sense 3a

Legal Definition

controller

noun

con·​trol·​ler kən-ˈtrō-lər, ˈkän-ˌtrō- 

: comptroller