controlling 1 of 2

present participle of control
1
2
as in containing
to gain emotional or mental control of he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4

controlling

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of controlling
Verb
The man also faces three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of making a threat to kill, assault causing actual bodily harm, and coercive and controlling behavior. Edward Segarra, USA Today, 28 July 2025 But the prevalent commentary was about the link between the seemingly controlling nature of Palmer’s husband and the growing popularity of trad wife content creators. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2025
Adjective
However, there's a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025 In tests run in the 1960s on such engines, such as NASA's NERVA rocket, controlling the engine was through a preprogrammed script – much like a common bread machine. David Szondy september 10, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for controlling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controlling
Verb
  • Much of Emery’s strategy is about organisation and regulating the game’s tempo.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing rolling back what's known as the endangerment finding, the basis for rules regulating climate pollution, including from coal and gas-fired power plants, cars and trucks, and methane from the oil and gas industry.
    Julia Simon, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The cocoa arm of the trial tested a daily extract supplement containing 500 mg of cocoa flavanols, and within that mix, about 80 mg came from a single compound called epicatechin – thought to be one of the most important flavanols for heart and blood vessel health.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Information about the two companies' partnership emerged after CCTV showed a billboard containing the details as part of a report on the telecoms giant's new Sanjiangyuan data center in Qinghai province.
    Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • There is a long history of tumult in American cricket, with USA Cricket Association - the previous governing body - expelled in 2017 after being suspended three times before that.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • State laws governing public universities make sense given that state governments, and their taxpayers, fund those universities.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Coping Strategies For Fall Fatigue In The Workplace Quesenberry advises that the key to managing fall fatigue is to be proactive and make small, intentional adjustments to your daily routine like setting boundaries and prioritizing rest can safeguard mental well-being during this time of year.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Managers often grow more assertive (sometimes drifting into domineering).
    Dave Winsborough, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Also in the cast: Emmy winner Laurie Metcalfe, as Augusta Gein, the murderer's religious, domineering mother; Tom Hollander as director Alfred Hitchcock; Olivia Williams as the filmmaker's wife, Alma Reville Hitchcock; and Lesley Manville, as Gein's second murder victim, Bernice Worden.
    Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Marquette University launched a new police unit focused on curbing reckless driving around campus just a few months before two student-athletes died in a crash about a mile from campus.
    Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Stop & Shop lowered its prices on thousands of items in late August, in a separate initiative, but a company representative told the Herald that curbing shoplifting remained on its radar.
    Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Many of the chefs are like musicians who have graduated from covering other artists’ songs to composing their own masterpieces.
    Jamila Robinson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
  • But recently a group of AI researchers in Japan and Taiwan created a benchmark called NEWSAGENT to see how well LLMs can do at actually taking source material and composing accurate news stories.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • With Daniel Pinto set to retire in 2026 and Jennifer Piepszak ruling herself out, names like Marianne Lake, Mary Erdoes, and Troy Rohrbaugh remain in the mix, though Dimon confirmed the bank will also weigh external candidates.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
  • One year after her appointment, Karki faced an impeachment motion from the ruling coalition after her bench overturned the government’s choice for police chief, a decision seen as a defense of meritocracy against political cronyism.
    Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Controlling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controlling. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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