1. Exercise authoritative control or power over
   "control the budget";
   - command
    
2. Lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits
   "control your anger";
   - hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate
    
3. Handle and cause to function
   "control the lever";
   - operate
    
4. Direct or influence behaviour through power or authority; maintain discipline
   "She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up";
   - manipulate, keep in line
    
5. Place under restrictions; limit access to by law
   "this substance is controlled";
   - restrict
    
6. Have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of
   "Do you control these data?";
   - master
    
7. (science) check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard
   "Are you controlling for the temperature?"; "They verified their results using a control group";
   - verify
    
8. Determine; be able to change
   "rooms are equipped with an air conditioning system to control the temperature";
   - govern
    
9. [archaic] Verify by using a duplicate register for comparison
   "control an account"

1. Power to direct or determine
   "under control"
    
2. A relation of constraint of one entity (thing, person or group) by another
   "measures for the control of disease"; "they instituted controls over drinking on campus"
    
3. (physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc
   "the timing and control of his movements were unimpaired"; "he had lost control of his sphincters"
    
4. The activity of managing or exerting control over something
   "the control of the mob by the police was admirable"
    
5. The state that exists when one person or group has power over another
   "her apparent control of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her";
   - dominance, ascendance, ascendence, ascendancy, ascendency
    
6. Discipline or moderation in personal and social behaviour
   "she never lost control of herself";
   - restraint
    
7. A mechanism that controls the operation of a machine
   "I turned the controls over to her";
   - controller
    
8. A standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment
   "the control condition was inappropriate for the conclusions he wished to draw";
   - control condition
    
9. Great skilfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity
   "a good control of French";
   - command, mastery
    
10. The economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.
    "they wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls"
     
11. A spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance
    "The medium claimed her control was the spirit of a Native American chief"

Derived forms: controlled, controlling, controls

Type of: activity, ascertain, bodily function, bodily process, body process, check, condition, criterion, curb, curtail, cut back, direct, discipline, disembodied spirit, economic policy, ensure, essay, examine, hold back, insure, interact, keep, keep back, know, make certain, make sure, manipulate, mechanism, power, powerfulness, prove, relation, restrain, restrict, see, skilfulness [Brit, Cdn], skillfulness [N. Amer], spirit, standard, status, test, trial, try, try out

Antonym: derestrict, unrestraint

Part of: experiment, experimentation

Encyclopedia: Control, Optimisation and Calculus of Variations