English Explanatory Dictionary

control

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
  2. (construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
  3. To verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.
  4. To call to account, to take to task, to challenge.
  5. To hold in check, to curb, to restrain.
noun
  1. An influence or authority over something.
  2. The method and means of governing the performance of any apparatus, machine or system, such as a lever, handle or button.
  3. Restraint or ability to contain one's movements or emotions, or self-control.
  4. A security mechanism, policy, or procedure that can counter system attack, reduce risks, and resolve vulnerabilities; a safeguard or countermeasure.
  5. A means of monitoring for, and triggering intervention in, activities that are not going according to plan.
  6. A control group or control experiment.
  7. A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register.
  8. An interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box.
  9. Any of the physical factors determining the climate of a place, such as latitude, distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.
  10. A construction in which the understood subject of a given predicate is determined by an expression in context. See control.
  11. A spirit that takes possession of a psychic or medium and allows other spirits to communicate with the living.
  12. A checkpoint along an audax route.

Pronunciation

/kənˈtɹəʊl/ [kənˈtɹɒʊl] /kənˈtɹɒl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-control.wav /kənˈtɹoʊl/ en-us-control.ogg /kənˈtɹəʉl/ /kənˈtɹɐʉl/ /kənˈtɾol/ /kənˈtɾoːl/

Word forms

control controls controlling controlled Ctrl comptrol comptroll controll controul countrol

Etymology

From Middle English controllen, from Old French contrerole, from Medieval Latin contrārotulus (“a counter-roll or register used to verify accounts”), from Latin contrā (“against, opposite”) + Medieval Latin rotulus, Latin rotula (“roll, a little wheel”), diminutive of rota (“a wheel”). Partly displaced native Old English wealdan and Old English wieldan, whence their merged reflex English wield.

Synonyms

besteer bewield manage puppeteer rule govern widget

Antonyms

defy rebel resist obey submit

Related words

regulate

Derived words

array controller Attempto Controlled English autocontrolled biocontrolling CCB CCN CFC climate-controlled CNL controlee controllability controllable controllableness controlled-access highway controlled chaos controlled explosion controlled flight into terrain controlledly controlledness controlled substance controlled vocabulary controllee controller controlling controlling images controlling interest controllingly controllingness controlment CR currency control decontrol decontrolled decontrolling enantiocontrolled enantiocontrolling foreign exchange control GCI hypercontrolled hypercontrolling incontrollable incontrollably microcontrolled mind controlled miscontrol myocontrolled NCO neurocontrolled noncontrollable noncontrolled noncontrolling overcontrol paracontrolled photocontrollability photocontrollable price-controlled radio-controlled recontrol regiocontrolled regiocontrolling
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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