comptroller

noun

comp·​trol·​ler kən-ˈtrō-lər  ˈkäm(p)-ˌtrō- 

käm(p)-ˈtrō-

1

: a royal-household official who examines and supervises expenditures

2

: a public official who audits government accounts and sometimes certifies expenditures

3

: controller sense 1c

comptrollership

kən-ˈtrō-lər-ˌship 

ˈkäm(p)-ˌtrō-, 

käm(p)-ˈtrō-

noun

Did you know?

If you think "comptroller" looks like a mistaken spelling of "controller," you're partially right. Today, "comptroller" is an established word that shares one of its meanings (sense 3) with "controller." The term did originate as a misspelling, however. Around the 15th century, Middle English speakers altered the spelling of "conterroller" (meaning "controller," from the Middle French contrerolleur) under the influence of the Middle French word compte ("account"). The resulting word, "comptroller," has attracted criticism over the years. Grammarian Henry Fowler condemned "comptroller" as "not merely archaic, but erroneous" in 1920, and a lexicographical column from 1931 agreed that "comptroller" is "erroneous and should not be accepted as correct." Nevertheless, such modern institutions as colleges and governments continue to have comptrollers. "Comptrollership" occasionally turns up as well.

Examples of comptroller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And after offering $150 million in breaks in 2024, Texas’s comptroller’s office this year upped that number to more than $1 billion annually, a nearly 567% increase in just one year. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 May 2026

Nearly half of the restaurants that have applied for an outdoor dining setup have been stuck in city bureaucracy since the start of the year, according to data from the comptroller’s office. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026

Hegseth testified last month before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that the conflict has cost $25 billion so far, and acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst said Tuesday that the price tag is now at $29 billion. —Caroline Linton, CBS News, 12 May 2026

The comptroller’s report added that even higher taxes could have a larger behavioral effect. —Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, alteration of countreroller controller

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for comptroller

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

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Kids Definition

comptroller

noun

comp·​trol·​ler kən-ˈtrō-lər  käm(p)- 

ˈkäm(p)-ˌtrō-lər

: a public official who examines financial accounts

Legal Definition

comptroller

noun

comp·​trol·​ler kən-ˈtrō-lər, ˈkämp-ˌtrō- 

: the head accounting officer of a company or government