verbWord forms: -trols, -trolling or -trolled(transitive)
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
5.
a.
to regulate (financial affairs)
b.
to examine and verify (financial accounts)
6.
to restrict or regulate the authorized supply of (certain substances, such as drugs)
noun
7.
power to direct or determine
under control
out of control
8.
a means of regulation or restraint; curb; check
a frontier control
9. (often plural)
a device or mechanism for operating a car, aircraft, etc
10.
a standard of comparison used in a statistical analysis or scientific experiment
11.
a.
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
b.
(as modifier)
control panel
control room
12. spiritualism
an agency believed to assist the medium in a séance
13. Also called: control mark
a letter, or letter and number, printed on a sheet of postage stamps, indicating authenticity, date, and series of issue
14.
one of a number of checkpoints on a car rally, orienteering course, etc, where competitors check in and their time, performance, etc, is recorded
Derived forms
controllable (conˈtrollable)
adjective
controllability (conˌtrollaˈbility) or controllableness (conˈtrollableness)
noun
controllably (conˈtrollably)
adverb
Word origin
C15: from Old French conteroller to regulate, from contrerolle duplicate register, system of checking, from contre-counter- + rolleroll