control

verb con·trol \ kən-ˈtrōl \

Definition of control

controlled; controlling

transitive verb

1 a archaic :to check, test, or verify by evidence or experiments

b :to incorporate suitable controls in

a controlled experiment

2 a :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

intransitive verb

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

control for socioeconomic differences

—

controllability

play \kən-ˌtrō-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

controllable

play \kən-ˈtrō-lə-bəl\ adjective

—

controlment

play \kən-ˈtrōl-mənt\ noun

See control defined for English-language learners

See control defined for kids

Examples of control in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of control from the Web

Outlook: Last year's Patriots struggled with finding the back of the net and controlling the possession of the game.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "2017 girls soccer preview," 30 Aug. 2017
Top five: The top five in the point standings will control their own fate at the Tour Championship with a victory here clinching the FedEx Cup playoff title.

— chris vivlamore, ajc, "Bubba Watson still alive in FedEx Cup playoffs," 28 Aug. 2017
Female, 20, arrested, 1400 block Main Street, burglary for purpose of fraud/forgery, forge prescriptions, obtain controlled substance by fraud, and forge/alter narcotic prescription.

— Ramona Sentinel, "Sheriff's Reports," 28 Aug. 2017
Over time, that controlled exposure leads to larger, healthier larvae.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Burying beetles mix a special growth potion for their young: one part dead mice, many parts bacteria," 24 Aug. 2017
Democratic leverage over appropriations is fortified by the broadly accepted understanding that as the party controlling both Congress and the White House, Republicans are likely to get the lion’s share of public blame for a government shutdown.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "If Trump Keeps Threatening Government Shutdown, Democrats Will Have Some Leverage — and Some Options," 24 Aug. 2017
A protracted government shutdown or a default on sovereign debt could be disastrous — for the economy and for the party that controls the White House and both chambers of Congress.

— alexander burns and jonathan martin, New York Times, "McConnell, in Private, Doubts if Trump Can Save Presidency," 22 Aug. 2017
Controlling your breath while in the shark tank is similar to the experience of yoga and meditation, according to Army medicine.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Shark therapy for wounded warriors? It's like meditation, experts say," 18 Aug. 2017
The U.S. believes Cabello, a former military chief, controls all of Venezuela’s security forces.

— patricia mazzei, miamiherald, "Venezuelan lawmaker tied to Rubio death threat: ‘We don’t care about you’," 17 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of control

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1523

See Words from the same year

control Synonyms

Synonyms

bridle, check, constrain, contain, curb, govern, hold, inhibit, keep, measure, pull in, regulate, rein (in), restrain, rule, tame

Antonyms

lose

Related Words

bottle (up), choke (back), hold back, mince, muffle, pocket, repress, sink, smother, squelch, stifle, strangle, suppress, swallow; arrest, interrupt, stop; block, hamper, handcuff, hinder, impede, obstruct; gag, muzzle, silence

Near Antonyms

liberate, loose, loosen, unleash; air, express, take out, vent

Synonym Discussion of control

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

control

noun, often attributive

Definition of control

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

2 :restraint, reserve

exercised control of his passions

3 :one that controls: such as

a (1) :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

(2) :one (such as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control

b :a device or mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system

the controls of the aircraft

c :an organization that directs a spaceflight

mission control

d :a personality or spirit believed to actuate the utterances or performances of a spiritualist medium

4 or less commonly Control :control key

See control defined for English-language learners

Examples of control in a Sentence

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 of control from the Web

First, North Korea would have to deploy a guidance and stability control system that could direct a long-range missile thousands of kilometers accurately without breaking apart, Selva said.

— anthony capaccio, Bloomberg.com, "North Korean ICBM Technology Still Falls Short, Top General Says," 30 Aug. 2017
Now the mortgage holders — identified in court papers as Medford Real Estate, Medford Capitol LLC and TBK Bank, SSB — are suing to foreclose on the house and regain control of the property before prosecutors seize it.

— robert mccoppin, McHenry County, "Authorities, banks both look to seize McHenry County mansion where huge pot bust took place," 30 Aug. 2017
Between 25 and 30 percent of Harris County - home to 4.5 million people in Houston and its near suburbs - was flooded by Tuesday afternoon, according to an estimate from Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the county flood control district.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Up to 30 percent of Harris County, home to Houston, is under water," 29 Aug. 2017
A $20 million bond issue for stormwater control projects in South Haven and unincorporated areas of Porter County is a public hearing and final vote by the stormwater board away from reality.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Stormwater bond issue proceeds in Porter County," 25 Aug. 2017
As long as Americans remain addicted to affordable electricity, smooth roads, indoor plumbing and climate control, the opportunities in the skilled trades will never go away.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "Imagining a Better Democratic Populism," 25 Aug. 2017
Those in attendance had a chance to ask the Illinois Democrat questions on such topics as education, North Korea, scientific research, nuclear power, voter rights and gun control.

— alicia fabbre, Naperville Sun, "Durbin urges residents at Naperville town hall to have faith, seek change," 25 Aug. 2017
These offshore companies effectively obscured the control wielded by top executives and their relatives.

— david barboza, New York Times, "Mounting Questions About Who Controls HNA, a Top Chinese Conglomerate," 24 Aug. 2017
When the Japanese began construction on what would later be called Henderson Airfield in July 1942, taking control of this strategic airfield became a primary goal for the US Marine offensive.

— lisa niver, Smithsonian, "Commemorating WWII History in the Solomon Islands," 22 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of control

see ¹control

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1565

See Words from the same year

control Synonyms

Synonyms

controller, regulator

Antonyms

nonpossession

Related Words

actuator; button, dial, key, knob, lever, push button, selector, switch

Near Antonyms

helplessness, weakness; impotence, impotency, powerlessness

Synonym Discussion of control

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

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

CONTROL Defined for English Language Learners

control

verb

Definition of control for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of control for English Language Learners

: 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

CONTROL Defined for Kids

control

verb con·trol \ kən-ˈtrōl \

Definition of control for Students

controlled; controlling

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?

History for control

In medieval England, records were kept in a variety of French. In this variety of French, a contreroule, or “counter-roll,” was a piece of parchment on which payments and receipts were written down. The verb contrerouler meant to check the original records against the “counter-roll” to be sure no mistakes were made. These two words were the source of our noun and verb control. The sense “checking for mistakes” survives in the way we use control to mean something used to check the results of a scientific experiment.

control

noun

Definition of control for Students

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 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

Medical Dictionary

control

verb con·trol \ kən-ˈtrōl \

medical Definition of control

controlled; controlling

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

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

Law Dictionary

control

transitive verb con·trol

legal Definition of control

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

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controllability

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controlment

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control

Definition of control

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control

Definition of control for English Language Learners

control

Definition of control for English Language Learners

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control

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control

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control

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control

medical Definition of control

Law Dictionary

control

legal Definition of control

control

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