control
control — verb
1. to make someone or something do what you want, or to keep a situation within cer
to make someone or something do what you want, or to keep a situation within certain limits — for example, managing a team, directing traffic, limiting a fire, or keeping your emotions from getting too strong.
A thermostat controls the room temperature by switching the heater on and off.
control + [how a device works]
The new manager found it hard to control such a large and busy team.
control + [group of people]
Firefighters arrived quickly and managed to control the blaze before dark.
control + [danger / fire]
Élise took a deep breath to control her nerves before the speech began.
control + [emotion]
The government introduced laws to control the pollution from cars and factories.
control + [something harmful]
- control carefully
- control effectively
- control costs
- control traffic
- control access
- control the situation
- manage
focuses on running or organizing day-to-day activities; less forceful than control
- regulate
implies setting and enforcing rules or limits; more formal and technical
- direct
emphasizes giving guidance or instructions rather than enforcing limits
- govern
formal authority over people or a country; wider scope than control
Grammar Patterns
control + noun phrase
control + wh-clause
Usage Note
Frequently used with the preposition 'over' (control over something/someone). Can take a reflexive pronoun: 'control yourself' means to stay calm or stop yourself from acting on emotion. Often appears in passive constructions: 'the disease was controlled by the new vaccine.'
Common Mistakes
be in control
idiomto have the power to make decisions in a situation, or to be able to stay calm and organised even when things are difficult.
Even during the crisis, the hospital director remained in control and made calm decisions.
After months of training, João felt fully in control of his new role at the bank.
to become impossible to manage or to stop, often with harmful results.
The car skidded on the ice and went out of control, crashing into a fence.
The children's shouting got out of control when the teacher left the room.
to succeed in dealing with a problem or dangerous situation so that it does not cause further damage.
Firefighters managed to get the forest fire under control within two hours.
With the new medication, Aylin's blood pressure is finally under control.
control — noun
1. the power or ability to decide how a country, organisation, vehicle, or situatio
the power or ability to decide how a country, organisation, vehicle, or situation is managed, or to force someone to act as you wish.
The parents have full control over their children's education choices at the school.
have control over + [decision/responsibility]
The army gained control of the capital city after three days of heavy fighting.
gain control of + [place/organisation]
Imran lost control of his bicycle after hitting a patch of ice on the road.
lose control of + [vehicle/situation]
The teacher struggled to take control of the noisy classroom after lunch.
take control of + [situation/group]
Who has control of the project budget now that the senior manager has left?
have control of + [responsibility]
- take control
- gain control
- lose control
- have control
- seize control
- control over
- control of
- submission
accepting someone else's authority instead of exercising your own
Grammar Patterns
have control of / over something
take control of something
lose control of something
Usage Note
Commonly used with the prepositions 'over' (more general authority) and 'of' (more specific/tangible object). 'Take control' suggests seizing authority; 'lose control' suggests failing to maintain it.
Common Mistakes
2. a state in which a situation, problem, or emotion is being handled successfully
a state in which a situation, problem, or emotion is being handled successfully and safely, or the opposite state in which it is not.
The flood waters are now under control after the new dam was completed.
under control — situation is being managed
The crowd got out of control when the speaker made an angry comment.
out of control — no longer manageable
Please keep your emotions under control during the job interview tomorrow.
keep [emotion] under control
The disease spread out of control before the vaccine was widely available.
out of control — spread of something harmful
Bringing the inflation rate under control was the central bank's main priority.
bring [problem] under control
- under control
- out of control
- in control
- keep control
- bring under control
- get out of control
- restraint
focuses on holding something back; more formal than control
- discipline
implies training or rules that create order
- chaos
complete disorder, the opposite of being under control
Grammar Patterns
under control
out of control
in control
Usage Note
This sense almost always appears in fixed prepositional phrases: 'under control' (managed well), 'out of control' (not manageable), 'in control' (having authority). These phrases describe a state, not an action. Distinguish from noun sense 1: 'under control' focuses on the state of being managed, while sense 1 focuses on the power itself.
Common Mistakes
3. a button, switch, knob, or lever on a piece of equipment that you press, turn, o
a button, switch, knob, or lever on a piece of equipment that you press, turn, or pull to make it work.
The volume control on the radio is broken, so the music sounds very quiet.
volume control — specific device function
The pilot checked all the controls carefully before starting the aircraft engine.
controls (plural) — full set of buttons and switches in a vehicle
João adjusted the temperature control on the air conditioner because the room was hot.
temperature control — adjusting a setting
The remote control for the television was stuck between the sofa cushions.
remote control — handheld device
Eri pressed the wrong control on the machine and stopped the production line.
press a control — physical button action
- remote control
- volume control
- temperature control
- control panel
- control room
- controls
- press a control
- adjust the control
Grammar Patterns
the + control + of [machine]
the + [function] + control
the + controls + of [vehicle]
Usage Note
Often used in the plural 'controls' to refer to all the buttons, switches, and levers in a vehicle or machine. Frequently appears in compound nouns: 'remote control', 'volume control', 'temperature control', 'game control'.
Common Mistakes
4. the key labelled 'Ctrl' that you hold down while pressing another key to run a s
the key labelled 'Ctrl' that you hold down while pressing another key to run a shortcut command on a computer.
Press Control and C at the same time to copy the selected text.
Control + C — copy shortcut
The Control key on this laptop sits next to the Shift key on the left.
Control key — physical location
You can zoom in by holding the Control key and scrolling the mouse wheel up.
Control key + mouse scroll — zoom shortcut
Aylin pressed Control and P to open the print menu without using the mouse.
Control + P — print shortcut
- Control key
- Ctrl
- Control + C
- Control + V
- Control + Z
- hold Control
- press Control
- Ctrl
the abbreviation printed on the key itself; more common in informal use
Grammar Patterns
press / hold Control + [key]
Control + [key letter]
Usage Note
Usually written as 'Ctrl' on the keyboard itself, but 'Control' in instructions and documentation. Common shortcuts: Control+C (copy), Control+V (paste), Control+Z (undo), Control+S (save).
Common Mistakes
5. a person, group, or sample in a laboratory study that is left untreated so resea
a person, group, or sample in a laboratory study that is left untreated so researchers can compare the treated subjects against it.
The scientists used a control group that received no medicine during the study.
control group — receives no treatment
In the experiment, the control plants were watered normally while others received salt water.
control [subjects] — compared with experimental group
Every medical trial should include a control to make the test results meaningful.
include a control — essential for valid results
Without a proper control, it is hard to know whether the drug actually works.
without a control — no comparison baseline
- control group
- control sample
- control subject
- control experiment
- positive control
- negative control
- include a control
- serve as a control
- experimental group
the group that receives the treatment being tested
Grammar Patterns
a + control
control group
control sample
Usage Note
Common in scientific and medical writing. Often combined with 'group' (control group) or 'subject' (control subject). A 'control experiment' is a separate experiment whose outcome is already known, used to check that your methods are working.
Common Mistakes
6. the ability to handle a tool, musical instrument, vehicle, or piece of equipment
the ability to handle a tool, musical instrument, vehicle, or piece of equipment with precision and skill, often developed through practice.
The pianist has wonderful control over every note she plays during a concert.
control over [instrument] — musical precision
Professional drivers have better control of their vehicles on wet roads.
have control of [vehicle] — driving skill
Lakan's brush control improved greatly after years of daily painting practice.
brush control — artistic skill
Obi showed excellent ball control during the football match against their rivals.
ball control — sports skill
- have control
- show control
- control over
- ball control
- brush control
- voice control
- fine control
- clumsiness
lack of skill; opposite of fine control
Grammar Patterns
have / show control over [tool/instrument]
have control of [vehicle/ball]
Usage Note
Subject is usually a skilled person or performer. The preposition 'over' is more common with artistic skills (control over the brush), while 'of' is more common with vehicles and objects (control of the car).
Common Mistakes
7. a room, building, or organisation from which an activity, process, or operation
a room, building, or organisation from which an activity, process, or operation is directed and monitored.
Mission control in Houston monitors every flight to the International Space Station.
mission control — space operations centre
The air traffic control tower guides planes landing and taking off from the airport.
air traffic control — airport operations
The control room is filled with screens showing data from every security camera on site.
control room — monitoring facility
Passport control at the airport checks each traveller's documents before they enter the country.
passport control — border check facility
- control room
- control centre
- mission control
- air traffic control
- passport control
- quality control
- damage control
- headquarters
the main office of an organisation; not specific to monitoring operations
- command centre
similar to control room but often implies military or emergency use
Grammar Patterns
[purpose] + control
control + [facility type]
Usage Note
Often appears as part of a compound noun: 'mission control', 'air traffic control', 'passport control', 'control room', 'control centre'. The uncountable use ('passport control') refers to the organisation or function; the countable use ('a control room') refers to the physical space.
To have the power to direct or manage something.
Mia is in control of the entire marketing campaign.
Is the captain still in control of the ship?
To become impossible to manage or direct.
The car ran out of control and hit a tree.
Has the party gotten out of control already?
be under control
idiomTo be managed successfully and not causing problems.
The fire is under control now, so we can relax.
Is the situation under control after the protest?
To succeed in managing something so it causes no harm.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control quickly.
Please keep your dog under control during the walk.
Word family
- controllernounB1
- controllableadjectiveB2
- uncontrolledadjectiveB2
- controllingadjectiveB1
- uncontrollableadjectiveB2
- uncontrollablyadverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
'Control' is the broadest of these words — you can control a machine, a team, your emotions, or a fire. 'Manage' is about running things day-to-day (managing a budget, managing staff) and has a softer, more administrative feel. 'Regulate' means to set and enforce rules or limits (regulate drug prices, regulate emissions), often used in formal or technical contexts. 'Direct' focuses on giving guidance and instructions (directing traffic, directing a film), not on enforcement. 'Govern' implies official authority over a large group or territory (governing a province) and has a political weight that 'control' lacks. 'Rule' suggests absolute or long-term authority (ruling a kingdom, ruling a dynasty) and sounds more powerful and often more distant. For a daily situation, 'I manage the team' and 'I direct the team' both fit, but 'I control the team' sounds stricter.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'control' comes from medieval Latin 'contrarotulus', meaning 'a counter-roll' — a copy of a financial record used to check the original. This was formed from 'contra' (against) and 'rotulus' (a roll of paper). In Old French it became 'controle', meaning 'a register for checking accounts'. By the 1400s, English used it as a verb meaning 'to check or verify accounts'. Over the 1500s and 1600s, the meaning broadened from checking records to exercising authority over people and things — the sense we know today.