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View synonyms for control

control

[kuhn-trohl]

verb (used with object)

controlled, controlling 
  1. to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate: command.

    The car is difficult to control at high speeds.

    That zone is controlled by enemy troops.

    Synonyms: rule, govern, manage
  2. to hold in check; curb.

    to control a horse;

    to control one's emotions.

  3. to test or verify (a scientific experiment) by a parallel experiment or other standard of comparison.

  4. to eliminate or prevent the flourishing or spread of.

    to control a forest fire.

  5. Biology.,  (of an organism) to initiate an internal response to external stimuli.

  6. Obsolete.,  to check or regulate (transactions), originally by means of a duplicate register.



noun

  1. the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command.

    Who's in control here?

    Synonyms: mastery, rule, reign, dominion
  2. the situation of being under the regulation, domination, or command of another.

    The car is out of control.

  3. check or restraint.

    Her anger is under control.

  4. a legal or official means of regulation or restraint.

    to institute wage and price controls.

  5. Statistics.,  control variable.

  6. a person who acts as a check; controller.

  7. a device for regulating and guiding a machine, as a motor or airplane.

  8. controls, a coordinated arrangement of such devices.

  9. prevention of the flourishing or spread of something undesirable.

    rodent control.

  10. Biology.,  an organism’s ability to initiate an internal response to external stimuli (regulation ).

  11. Baseball.,  the ability of a pitcher to throw the ball into the strike zone consistently.

    The rookie pitcher has great power but no control.

  12. Philately.,  any device printed on a postage or revenue stamp to authenticate it as a government issue or to identify it for bookkeeping purposes.

  13. a spiritual agency believed to assist a medium at a séance.

  14. the supervisor to whom an espionage agent reports when in the field.

verb phrase

  1. control for,  to account for (variables in an analysis) by limiting the data under consideration to a comparison of like things.

    to control for demographic factors.

control

/ kənˈtrəʊl /

verb

  1. to command, direct, or rule

    to control a country

  2. to check, limit, curb, or regulate; restrain

    to control one's emotions

    to control a fire

  3. to regulate or operate (a machine)

  4. to verify (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment in which the variable being investigated is held constant or is compared with a standard

    1. to regulate (financial affairs)

    2. to examine and verify (financial accounts)

  5. to restrict or regulate the authorized supply of (certain substances, such as drugs)

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. power to direct or determine

    under control

    out of control

  2. a means of regulation or restraint; curb; check

    a frontier control

  3. (often plural) a device or mechanism for operating a car, aircraft, etc

  4. a standard of comparison used in a statistical analysis or scientific experiment

    1. a device that regulates the operation of a machine. A dynamic control is one that incorporates a governor so that it responds to the output of the machine it regulates

    2. ( as modifier )

      control panel

      control room

  5. spiritualism an agency believed to assist the medium in a séance

  6. Also called: control marka letter, or letter and number, printed on a sheet of postage stamps, indicating authenticity, date, and series of issue

  7. one of a number of checkpoints on a car rally, orienteering course, etc, where competitors check in and their time, performance, etc, is recorded

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

control

  1. A standard of comparison for checking or verifying the results of an experiment. In an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new drug, for example, one group of subjects (the control group) receives an inactive substance or placebo , while a comparison group receives the drug being tested.

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Other Word Forms

  • controllable adjective
  • controllably adverb
  • controllability noun
  • controllableness noun
  • controlless adjective
  • controllingly adverb
  • noncontrollable adjective
  • noncontrollably adverb
  • noncontrolled adjective
  • noncontrolling adjective
  • overcontrol verb (used with object)
  • precontrol noun
  • quasi-controlled adjective
  • quasi-controlling adjective
  • subcontrol verb (used with object)
  • supercontrol noun
  • uncontrolled adjective
  • uncontrolling adjective
  • well-controlled adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of control1

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English co(u)ntrollen (verb), from Anglo-French contreroller “to keep a duplicate account or roll,” derivative of contrerolle (noun); counter-, roll
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Word History and Origins

Origin of control1

C15: from Old French conteroller to regulate, from contrerolle duplicate register, system of checking, from contre- counter- + rolle roll
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Idioms and Phrases

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Their only current MS in a party fighting to control the Senedd, is floating the idea that in the future the institution might not exist under a Reform-led Welsh government.

From BBC

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans a month ago to take control of Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

From BBC

Signing her to new, longer contract gives the team additional leverage and control should European teams coming looking to buy.

The new images reviewed by BBC Verify show that intensive bombardments and controlled explosions have levelled several neighbourhoods over the past four weeks.

From BBC

The only way he will address any issue is if he can control the narrative and the questions.

From Salon

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When To Use

What does control mean?

To control is to dominate or command something or someone, as in Tomas showed excellent control of his hand several weeks after his surgery.As a noun, control can refer to the act of controlling, as in I can’t stand it—my parents have total control over my life!To control is also to restrain or keep in check, as in Toddlers are not known for control over their emotions.Control can also refer to keeping something in check. When you keep your emotions under control, you still feel them but you don’t let them overwhelm you.To control can also mean to eliminate the spread of something, such as with a fire or an illness.In statistics, to control for means to compare only like data to reduce the number of variables in the comparison.Example: Who has control of the lights for tonight’s show?

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