control verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of control verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

control

verb
 
/kənˈtrəʊl/
 
/kənˈtrəʊl/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they control
 
/kənˈtrəʊl/
 
/kənˈtrəʊl/
he / she / it controls
 
/kənˈtrəʊlz/
 
/kənˈtrəʊlz/
past simple controlled
 
/kənˈtrəʊld/
 
/kənˈtrəʊld/
past participle controlled
 
/kənˈtrəʊld/
 
/kənˈtrəʊld/
-ing form controlling
 
/kənˈtrəʊlɪŋ/
 
/kənˈtrəʊlɪŋ/
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    have power

  1. control somebody/something to have power over a person, company, country, etc. so that you are able to decide what they must do or how it is run
    • By the age of 21 he controlled the company.
    • The whole territory is now controlled by the army.
    • Can't you control your children?
    • a multinational company based in Britain but controlled from South Africa
    • We want to control our own destiny (= decide what happens to us).
    • attempts by corporations to control access to information
    Extra Examples
    • Each school is controlled by a Board of Governors.
    • Government forces have proved incapable of controlling the rebels.
    • It is a multi-national company based in Britain but controlled from South Africa.
    • Mounted police had been called to control the crowds.
    • The National Bank is directly controlled by the government.
    • The clubs were found guilty of failing to control their fans.
  2. limit/manage

  3. to limit something or make it happen in a particular way
    • control something It is essential for businesses to control costs.
    • government attempts to control immigration
    • Local industries were tightly controlled.
    • Many biological processes are controlled by hormones.
    • Try to control your breathing.
    • They built a reservoir to control the flow of water.
    • control what/how, etc… Parents should control what their kids watch on television.
    Extra Examples
    • Conditions in the greenhouse are carefully controlled.
    • Expenditure within the company is tightly controlled.
    • The government has announced new measures to control immigration
    • This government has failed to control inflation.
    • Time out is an effective way of controlling aggressive behaviour.
    • In many countries the production of the drug is illegal or tightly controlled.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • carefully
    • precisely
    • rigidly
    See full entry
  4. to stop something from spreading or getting worse
    • control something Firefighters are still trying to control the blaze.
    • to control a disease
    • She was given drugs to control the pain.
    • control something with something Most of the symptoms can be controlled with medication.
    Extra Examples
    • Symptoms can be controlled in most patients.
    • His diabetes can be controlled by diet.
    • He had an emergency operation in which surgeons attempted to control the bleeding.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • carefully
    • precisely
    • rigidly
    See full entry
  5. machine

  6. to make something such as a machine or system work in the way that you want it to
    • control something This knob controls the volume.
    • The traffic lights are controlled by a central computer.
    • The entrance gates are electronically controlled.
    • control something with something lighting that you can control with your smartphone
    • control something via something The thermostat can be controlled via an app.
    • control something from something toys that can be controlled from your mobile device
    Extra Examples
    • The shutters can be electronically controlled.
    • You can easily control the speed of the fan.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • automatically
    • electronically
    • manually
    See full entry
  7. stay calm

  8. to manage to make yourself remain calm, even though you are upset or angry
    • control yourself I was so angry I couldn't control myself.
    • control something He was finding it difficult to control his feelings.
    • You can learn to control your emotions.
    Extra Examples
    • She was struggling to control her temper.
    • The clerk could scarcely control his excitement.
    • He was finding it hard to control his feelings.
    • I was so furious I couldn't control myself and I hit him.
  9. Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘check or verify accounts’, especially by referring to a duplicate register): from Anglo-Norman French contreroller ‘keep a copy of a roll of accounts’, from medieval Latin contrarotulare, from contrarotulus ‘copy of a roll’, from contra- ‘against’ + rotulus ‘a roll’. The noun is perhaps via French contrôle.
See control in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee control in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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From the Topic
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