controller

[kuhn-troh-ler]

noun

1. an employee, often an officer, of a business firm who checks expenditures, finances, etc.; comptroller.

2. a person who regulates, directs, or restrains.

3. British Aeronautics.,  a dispatcher.

4. a regulating mechanism; governor.

5. Also called control unit, processor. Computers.,  the key component of a device, as a terminal, printer, or external storage unit, that contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute instructions fed into the device.

6. Digital Technology.,  a remote piece of hardware used to direct or control an electronic device.

   a video game controller.

controller

/ kənˈtrəʊlə /

noun

1. a person who directs, regulates, or restrains

2. Also called: comptroller. a business executive or government officer who is responsible for financial planning, control, etc

3. the equipment concerned with controlling the operation of an electrical device

Other Word Forms

• controllership noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of controller¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English countrollour, from Anglo-French countrero(u)llour, Middle French contrerolleur, equivalent to contrerolle “duplicate roll” + -eur, -our, from Latin -ōr- or -ātōr- noun suffixes; control, -or ², -ator

Example Sentences

Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya said Lord Bragg had "been part of the heartbeat of Radio 4 for over three decades".

From BBC

"My team went out and negotiated with the religious orders, the adoption agencies, all the various stakeholders and record data controllers," she said.

From BBC

City Hall East is connected to the main City Hall building via a walkway and includes the offices of the city attorney and city controller.

From Los Angeles Times

The first person Robby checks in with is Dana, the charge nurse, who Gemmill refers to as both the “den mother” and “air traffic controller” of the ER.

From Los Angeles Times

If the controllers weren't busy, they would just fill in the form and send it off to London.

From BBC

Related Words

• authority 
• bureaucrat 
• chief 
• commander 
• custodian 
• dean 
• director 
• executive 
• head 
• inspector 
• judge 
• leader 
• manager 
• minister 
• officer 
• official 
• organizer 
• superintendent 
• supervisor