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 of controller

• regulator
• control

Examples of controller in a Sentence

the controllers for the video game system seem fairly well designed

Recent Examples on the Web

So the crew members have been training to sleep, eat, exercise, use the bathroom and communicate with ground controllers in very tight quarters. —Denise Chow, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026

The drone alone starts at €459 (£409), with Fly More Combo packages reaching €939 (£829) with either the RC 2 joystick or the motion controller. —Omar Kardoudi march 27, New Atlas, 27 Mar. 2026

Typically, drones navigate using a combination of sensors, cameras, controllers, a power source, and sophisticated algorithms that interpret environmental data to make decisions. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026

Before the new policy, controllers largely relied on pilots to use visual separation. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026

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