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control

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noun British English pronunciation: control /kənˈtrəʊl/ 
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singularcontrol
pluralcontrols
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  1. 1
    [uncountable] the power to make decisions about something and decide what should happen
    control of:

    When Marie's father died, control of the business passed into her hands.

    have control of/over something:

    Dr Davies believes that children should have control over their own lives.

    take control of something:

    When we took control of the company, it was losing money.

    gain/lose control of something:

    Democrats are hoping to gain control of the House of Representatives at the next election.

    be/come under someone's control:

    The island is now under French control.

    beyond/outside someone's control:

    Decisions on financial matters are outside my control.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  2. 2
    [uncountable] the power to make something such as a vehicle, machine, or animal do what you want
    lose control of something:

    The driver lost control of the vehicle on an icy road.

    regain control of something:

    He failed to regain control of the aircraft, and it crashed moments later.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  3. 3
    [countable/uncountable] a law, agreement, or method that limits something

    an international agreement on arms control

    wage and price controls

    control on:

    new controls on the importing of live animals

    tighter controls on vehicle emissions

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  4. 4
    [uncountable] the ability to stop something from increasing or becoming dangerous

    The police were called in to help with crowd control.

    control of:

    Control of inflation is the government's top priority.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  5. 5
    [uncountable] the ability to remain calm even when you are feeling upset or angry
    lose control:

    The defendant had lost control after telling the victim several times to leave him alone.

    keep control:

    They sat in silence, struggling to keep control of their emotions.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  6. 6
    [countable] a button or switch that makes a machine do something

    She adjusted the volume control slightly.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
    1. a.

      controls

       [plural] the instruments used for operating a large vehicle, especially an aircraft
      be at the controls:

      We were reassured to know that an experienced pilot was now at the controls.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  7. 7
    [countable] science a group of people or things that is compared with the people or things being used in a scientific test in order to show whether the test has an effect or not

    Half of the control group suffered further heart attacks, compared with only 12% of those receiving the treatment.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  8. 8
    [uncountable] the control key on a computer keyboard

    Press 'control' and 'D' to delete a line.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control
  9. 9
    [uncountable] the process of checking to make certain that rules or standards are being applied

    It took us two hours to get through passport control.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of control

phrases

This is the British English definition of control. View American English definition of control.

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View the pronunciation for control.

 

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