control (controls plural & 3rd person present) (controlling present participle) (controlled past tense & past participle )
1 n-uncount Controlof an organization, place, or system is the power to make all the important decisions about the way that it is run.
oft N of/over n
The restructuring involves Mr Ronson giving up control of the company..., The first aim of his government would be to establish control over the republic's territory. If you are in controlof something, you have the power to make all the important decisions about the way it is run.
in control phrase usu v-link PHR, usu PHR of n
Nobody knows who is in control of the club..., In the West, people feel more in control of their own lives. If something is under your control, you have the power to make all the important decisions about the way that it is run.
under one's control phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
All the newspapers were taken under government control.
2 n-uncount If you have control of something or someone, you are able to make them do what you want them to do.
oft N of/over n
He lost control of his car..., Some teachers have more control over pupils than their parents have.
3 n-uncount If you show control, you prevent yourself behaving in an angry or emotional way.
He had a terrible temper, and sometimes he would completely lose control..., He was working hard to keep control of himself.
4 verb The people who control an organization or place have the power to take all the important decisions about the way that it is run.
He now controls the largest retail development empire in southern California... V n
Minebea ended up selling its controlling interest in both firms. V-ing
-controlled comb in adj
AGA Gas is Swedish-controlled., ...the state-controlled media.
5 verb To control a piece of equipment, process, or system means to make it work in the way that you want it to work.
...a computerised system to control the gates... V n
...the controlled production of energy from sugar by a cell. V-ed
-controlled comb in adj
...computer-controlled traffic lights.
6 verb When a government controls prices, wages, or the activity of a particular group, it uses its power to restrict them.
The federal government tried to control rising health-care costs. V n
Control is also a noun., n-uncount with supp
Control of inflation remains the government's absolute priority.
7 verb If you controlyourself, or if you control your feelings, voice, or expression, you make yourself behave calmly even though you are feeling angry, excited, or upset.
(=restrain)
Jo was advised to learn to control herself... V pron-refl
I just couldn't control my temper. V n
controlled adj
(=restrained)
Her manner was quiet and very controlled.
8 verb To control something dangerous means to prevent it from becoming worse or from spreading.
One of the biggest tasks will be to control the spread of malaria. V n
9 n-count A control is a device such as a switch or lever which you use in order to operate a machine or other piece of equipment.
I practised operating the controls., ...the control box. If someone is at thecontrolsof a machine or other piece of equipment, they are operating it.
at the controls phrase
He died of a heart attack while at the controls of the plane.
10 n-var Controls are the methods that a government uses to restrict increases, for example in prices, wages, or weapons.
Critics question whether price controls would do any good..., They have very strict gun control in Sweden.
11 n-var Control is used to refer to a place where your documents or luggage are officially checked when you enter a foreign country.
n N
He went straight through Passport Control without incident.
12
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air traffic control
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birth control
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quality control
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remote control
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stock control
13 If something is out of control, no-one has any power over it.
out of control phrase usu v PHR, v-link PHR
The fire is burning out of control...
14 If something harmful is under control, it is being dealt with successfully and is unlikely to cause any more harm.
under control phrase v-link PHR, PHR after v If the current violence is to be brought under control, the government needs to act.
air traffic control
1 n-uncount Air traffic control is the activity of organizing the routes that aircraft should follow, and telling pilots by radio which routes they should take.
oft N n
...the nation's overburdened air-traffic-control system.
2 n-uncount-coll Air traffic control is the group of people who organize the routes aircraft take.
They have to wait for clearance from air traffic control.
birth control
Birth control means planning whether to have children, and using contraception to prevent having them when they are not wanted. n-uncount
control freak (control freaks plural )If you say that someone is a control freak, you mean that they want to be in control of every situation they find themselves in.
INFORMAL n-count
(disapproval)
control tower (control towers plural )A control tower is a building at an airport from which instructions are given to aircraft when they are taking off or landing. You can also refer to the people who work in a control tower as the control tower. n-count
The pilot told the control tower that he'd run into technical trouble.
gun control
Gun control refers to the laws that restrict the possession and use of guns. n-uncount oft N n
France has tight gun-control laws for handguns, but not for hunting rifles.
mission control
Mission control is the group of people on Earth who are in charge of a flight by a spacecraft, or the place where these people work. n-uncount
quality control
In an organization that produces goods or provides services, quality control is the activity of checking that the goods or services are of an acceptable standard. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
remote control (remote controls plural )
1 n-uncount Remote control is a system of controlling a machine or a vehicle from a distance by using radio or electronic signals.
The bomb was detonated by remote control.
2 n-count The remote control for a television or video recorder is the device that you use to control the machine from a distance, by pressing the buttons on it.
self-control
Self-control is the ability to not show your feelings or not do the things that your feelings make you want to do. n-uncount
I began to wish I'd shown more self-control.
stock control
Stock control is the activity of making sure that a company always has exactly the right amount of goods available to sell. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
