control */*/*/

I UK [kənˈtrəʊl] / US [kənˈtroʊl] noun
Word forms "control":
singular control plural controls

Get it right: control:

The noun control is sometimes followed by of and sometimes by over. The choice of preposition depends on the verb that comes before control. In these expressions, always use the preposition of (not "over"): ▪  take control of
▪  lose control of
▪  be/feel in control of something
Wrong: Man has always tried to take control over nature.
Right: Man has always tried to take control of nature.
Wrong: He drove too fast and lost control over his van.
Right: He drove too fast and lost control of his van.

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.

•

Collocations:
Verbs frequently used with control as the object ▪  assume, exercise, exert, gain, have, keep, lose, maintain, regain, relinquish, retain, seize, take, tighten, wrest

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.

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

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.

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.

6)

a) [countable] a button or switch that makes a machine do something

She adjusted the volume control slightly.

b) 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.

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.

8) [uncountable] the control key on a computer keyboard

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

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.

•

- in control

- out of control

- under control

II UK [kənˈtrəʊl] / US [kənˈtroʊl] verb [transitive]
Word forms "control":
present tense I/you/we/they control he/she/it controls present participle controlling past tense controlled past participle controlled

1) to have the power to make decisions and decide what will happen to something

Most of the news media were controlled by the central government.

a property company that controls assets worth £650 million

A rebel army was now controlling the northern half of the country.

2) to make people behave in the way that you want them to behave

New teachers often find it difficult to control their classes.

The generals who seized power used terror to control the people.

3) to make a machine, system, vehicle etc move or operate in the way that you want it to

The surgeon controls the device remotely using a computer terminal.

I hit a patch of ice and couldn't control the car.

The flow of water is controlled by a series of valves.

4) to prevent something harmful from spreading or becoming more dangerous

We must do more to control the spread of the virus.

a new package of regulations, aimed at controlling pollution and minimizing waste

5)

a) to keep something at the correct level

The temperature in the museum is carefully controlled.

the parts of the brain that control our breathing

b) to prevent something from increasing too much or too quickly

Our two priorities are encouraging investment and controlling inflation.

tightly/strictly controlled:

Spending in the company was tightly controlled.

6) to remain calm and not show that you are angry or upset

Carol struggled to control her anger.

I could hardly control my temper.

control yourself:

If you can't learn to control yourself, you'll have to leave.