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/ |
- 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 multinational 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.
Definitions on the go
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- 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.
- In many countries the production of the drug is illegal or tightly controlled.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- precisely
- rigidly
- …
- 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.
- She had an emergency operation in which surgeons attempted to control the bleeding.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- precisely
- rigidly
- …
- 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 a 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
- …
- 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.
More Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs
have power
limit/manage
machine
stay calm
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.
Check pronunciation:
control