control

Saykuhn-TROHL/kənˈtɹoʊl/UK/kənˈtɹəʊl/

Pluralcontrols

Verbcontrols, controlling, controlled

18 meanings of control

Practice

1
power overnouncountable or uncountable
Power or authority over something or someone.
Like holding the steering wheel: you decide where things go.
After the merger, she had full control over the company's finances.
Parents slowly lose control as their children grow up.
UsageSay control of a city, control over money, under control.
Similarauthority, power, command, charge, dominance
2
verbtransitive
To have power over how someone or something acts.
Like a driver steering a car wherever they want it to go.
Good managers control their teams without making everyone feel watched.
She controls every detail of the wedding plans.
UsageTo look at tickets or passports, say check (not ~~incorrect: control~~).
Similarmanage, rule
3
operating devicenouncountable or uncountable
A button, switch, lever or screen item you use to make a machine or program work.
Like the buttons on a TV remote that tell it what to do.
He reached for the volume control on the dashboard.
The pilot checked each control before takeoff.
UsageSay at the controls of a plane.
4
nouncountable or uncountable
The limiting or reducing of something, or a rule or way of doing it, like pest control.
The city voted for stricter control of noise from late-night bars.
The government put controls on the price of bread to keep it cheap.
UsageSay gun control for the policy and price controls for the rules.
Similarregulation, restriction, limit
5
verbtransitive
To hold something back or keep it from getting worse.
Like putting a lid on a pot so it doesn't boil over.
Firefighters worked all night to control the blaze.
New rules helped control the spread of the disease.
UsageUsed with fires, pain, or crowds: control the fire, control the pain.
Similarcurb, restrain, check, contain, manage
6
nouncountable or uncountable
The ability to hold back your feelings or actions.
Like keeping a tight grip on a dog's leash so it doesn't run off.
He lost control and shouted at the referee.
It takes real control to stay calm during an argument.
UsageSay lose control or keep control.
Similarcomposure, restraint, poise, command
7
monitoringnouncountable or uncountable
A rule or check put in place to catch problems early or keep something safe.
Like a smoke alarm that warns you early so you can fix a problem.
The company added new security controls to stop fake payments.
Without any control in place, the project quickly fell behind.
Similarcheck, safeguard, measure, procedure
Note
8
baseline groupnouncountable or uncountable
In an experiment, the group that does not get the thing being tested, so results can be compared.
Like a 'before' photo you compare against to see what changed.
The scientists compared the new drug against a control.
One group of plants got the new spray, and the control got plain water.
Note
9
noununcountable
The key marked Ctrl on a computer keyboard, which you press with another key to do something.
To save your work, press control and S at the same time.
I spilled juice on my keyboard, and now control doesn't work.
Note

Less common meanings

10
noununcountable
The place where officers check travelers' passports, tickets, or goods, often at an airport or a border.
Our bus stopped at the border, and everyone got off to walk through passport control.
At customs control, an officer opened the boxes of fruit in the back of our truck.
Similarcheckpoint
11
account forverbtransitive
To stop other things from changing the results of a study, when setting it up or when working with its numbers.
Like baking two cakes the same way but changing just one thing, so you know what made the difference.
The researchers control for age so it doesn't affect the results.
Good studies control for things like income and education.
UsageSay control for age.
Similaradjust, account
Note
12
verbarchaictransitive
To check that something is correct by comparing it with another record.
Note
13
verbobsoletetransitive
To challenge or scold someone, asking them to explain what they did.
I fortuned to come in, Thys rebell to behold, Whereof I hym controld; But he sayde that he wolde Agaynst my mynde and wyll In my church hawke styll.
c. 1503, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John ScattergoodHere, controld means scolded him or called him to account for his behavior.
Note
14
noun
A second copy of a record or account book, kept to check the first one for mistakes.
"Make sure you enter the total of any credit balances in the sales ledger into the Sales Ledger Control Account and the total of any debit balances in the purchase ledger into the Purchase Ledger Control Account."
2012, Harold Randall, David HopkinsHere, control account means a summary account kept to check other records.
15
noun
A sentence pattern where one word decides who does a second action that has no subject written out.
16
noun
A natural feature of a place, such as its height or nearness to the sea, that shapes its long-term weather.
17
noun
A spirit believed to take over a medium and let other spirits speak to living people.
18
noun
A checkpoint on a long bike ride where riders stop to get proof they passed that spot.

More uses

control keythe Ctrl key on a computer keyboard

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of control apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from an old French and Latin word for a 'counter-roll,' a second record used to check accounts.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Control derives through historical French and Latin forms. en.wiktionary.org
The underlying counter-roll was a duplicate record used for checking accounts. fr.wiktionary.org