controlled; controlling
1
2
a
: to incorporate suitable controls in
a controlled test
see also controlled experiment
b
archaic
: to check, test, or verify by evidence or experiments
: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study
—used with for
control for socioeconomic differences
1
a
: an act or instance of controlling
also
: power or authority to guide or manage
He took control of the family business.
b
: skill in the use of a tool, instrument, technique, or artistic medium
a singer's control of her voice
c
: the regulation of economic activity especially by government directive
—usually used in plural
price controls
rent controls
d
: the ability of a baseball pitcher to control the location of a pitch within the strike zone
3
: one that controls: such as
a
: a device or mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system
the controls of the aircraft
b
: an organization that directs a spaceflight
mission control
c(1)
(2)
: one (such as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control experiment and is used as a standard of comparison
… the residents in the experimental group also seemed to have a lower rate of mortality when compared with controls …—
Ellen J. Langer and Jerry Avorn
—often used before another nounEllen J. Langer and Jerry AvornBecause patients sometimes get better or worse on their own, drug tests also need a control group to compare the new drug with standard treatment or a placebo.—Marilyn Chase
Marilyn Chase
d
: a personality or spirit believed to actuate the utterances or performances of a spiritualist medium
4
or less commonly Control
: control key
Examples of control in a Sentence
Verb
The parents could not control their child.
The police controlled the crowd.
The small boy could not control the big dog.
Her family controls the business.
One country controls the whole island.
The rebel army now controls nearly half the country.
The lights on stage are controlled by this computer.
She struggled to control the cart as it rolled before her down the steep, bumpy road.
He controlled the volume by turning the radio's knob.
A thermostat controls the room's temperature.
Noun
The city wanted local control of education.
The tribes fought for control over the territory.
He took control of the family farm.
She hired an accountant to take control of her money.
He lost all muscle control in his left arm.
The soccer player showed good control of the ball.
a teacher with good control of her students
The farmer used an organic pest control on his crops.
To cut down on competition, the government passed price controls on prescription drugs.
The President wants stricter controls on immigration.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Gently touch your back foot onto the box and reverse the movement back toward the ground, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
The nonprofit OpenAI Foundation retains governance control over the PBC, ensuring the mission remains central even as the company opens itself to greater capital and equity participation.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for control
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.
Verb
For chemical control use a 3-way herbicide containing 2, 4-D as the main active ingredient to control broadleaf weeds like clover, henbit, and chickweed.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Gently touch your back foot onto the box and reverse the movement back toward the ground, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
On the table before the two leaders, who met at Busan’s Gimhae Air Base, were a range of thorny issues including tariffs, China’s sweeping export controls on rare earths, US restrictions on Chinese access to American high-tech, and China’s role in the illicit fentanyl trade.
—Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
The nonprofit OpenAI Foundation retains governance control over the PBC, ensuring the mission remains central even as the company opens itself to greater capital and equity participation.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for control
Cite this Entry
“Control.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/control. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
control
1 of 2 verb
con·trol
kən-ˈtrōl 
controlled; controlling
1
a
: to keep within limits : restrain
control your temper
b
: to direct the action of
control a plane
2
: to have power over : rule
3
: to reduce the number of individuals or cases especially to a level that is not dangerous
control insects
control a disease
control
2 of 2 noun1
: the power or authority to control
2
: ability to control
the car went out of control
keep control of a situation
3
a
: a means for controlling
the controls of an airplane
price controls
b
: an organization that directs a flight beyond the earth's atmosphere
mission control
4
b
: one (as an organism or group) that is part of a control experiment and is used as a standard of comparison
5
: reduction in or regulation of the number of individuals or cases in an area
disease control
Medical Definition
control
1 of 2 verb
con·trol
kən-ˈtrōl
controlled; controlling
1
: to incorporate suitable controls in
a controlled experiment
2
: to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous levels
control an insect population
a vaccine for controlling outbreaks of cholera
: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study
—used with for
failure to control for the difference in the rate of smoking between the two groups—Howard Bauchner et al.
Howard Bauchner et al.control
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of controlling something
control of acute intermittent porphyria
2
: one that is used in controlling something: as
a
: an experiment in which the subjects are treated as in a parallel experiment except for omission of the procedure or agent under test and which is used as a standard of comparison in judging experimental effects
called also control experiment
b
: one (as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control
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