1
as in controllers
a mechanism for adjusting the operation of a device, machine, or system the controls for the player are well marked
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2
as in hands
the ability to direct the course of something after the tail fell off, the plane went out of the pilot's control firefighters keeping control of the blaze
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3
as in operations
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something control of manufacturing operations was given to a new manager with fresh ideas
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4
as in powers
the right or means to command or control others teachers are responsible for the students under their control
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1
as in regulates
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) you must learn to control your temper
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2
as in contains
to gain emotional or mental control of he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks
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3
as in rules
to exercise authority or power over circumstances often control the choices we make in life
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4
as in operates
to look after and make decisions about during the period that she controlled the company it was highly profitable
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of controls
Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026 With 13 customizable controls, 11-zone Chroma under-glow, and Gen-3 Optical Switches that are rated for 90 million clicks, this mouse will survive your climb to the top of the leaderboard. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026 The cell does this with a membrane permeable enough to let nutrients in but solid enough to hold the cell together, plus molecular controls to modulate that permeability as needed. —Amanda Gefter, Quanta Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026 Samantha Nevins had an impressive five assists while Evie Bernard led with five goals and nine draw controls as Hamilton-Wenham cruised to a 20-5 win over Georgetown. —Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 Those who test positive for the disease of interest become positive cases in the study, and those who test negative are test-negative controls. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026 What happens when the same capabilities operate outside those controls is a question that policy has not yet answered. —Stephen D. Turner, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026 Throughput increases, operational strain decreases, and the environment begins to function as an integrated system rather than a patchwork of manual controls. —Alex Israel, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026 The highest doping controls were in hockey, cross-country skiing, biathlon, speed skating and alpine skiing, the agency said. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026 For years, many Hungarian journalists have, privately at least, expressed exasperation with the state controls on their work. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026 The suits also allege that another manufacturer, Oshkosh Corporation, took steps to ensure that its subsidiary controls the market for chassis and replacement parts, allowing the company to charge high prices for those proprietary parts. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026 As well as the world's largest navy consisting of more than 370 battle force People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vessels, China controls a shadow fleet of up to 200,000 fishing boats as an informal militia. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Apr. 2026 The company now controls of 86% of the market for concerts and 73% of the overall market when sports events are included, according to Kessler. —Larry Neumeister, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026 The company controls concerts, tickets and event venues as part of its live event business. —Mason Leib, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026 The property has over a mile of frontage along the Fall River and controls the Spring and Lava creek tributaries. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2026 Since that time, that state has gotten to a point where the highest bidder controls the state. —Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Noun
Parents can protect their entire family with benefits like alert sharing, parental controls and cyberbullying alerts for video games. —Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026 With 13 customizable controls, 11-zone Chroma under-glow, and Gen-3 Optical Switches that are rated for 90 million clicks, this mouse will survive your climb to the top of the leaderboard. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026 The cell does this with a membrane permeable enough to let nutrients in but solid enough to hold the cell together, plus molecular controls to modulate that permeability as needed. —Amanda Gefter, Quanta Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026 Samantha Nevins had an impressive five assists while Evie Bernard led with five goals and nine draw controls as Hamilton-Wenham cruised to a 20-5 win over Georgetown. —Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 Those who test positive for the disease of interest become positive cases in the study, and those who test negative are test-negative controls. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026 What happens when the same capabilities operate outside those controls is a question that policy has not yet answered. —Stephen D. Turner, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026 Throughput increases, operational strain decreases, and the environment begins to function as an integrated system rather than a patchwork of manual controls. —Alex Israel, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026 The highest doping controls were in hockey, cross-country skiing, biathlon, speed skating and alpine skiing, the agency said. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
One is called cervical dystonia with torticollis, which basically is in the part of my brain that controls movement. —Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026 For years, many Hungarian journalists have, privately at least, expressed exasperation with the state controls on their work. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026 The suits also allege that another manufacturer, Oshkosh Corporation, took steps to ensure that its subsidiary controls the market for chassis and replacement parts, allowing the company to charge high prices for those proprietary parts. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026 As well as the world's largest navy consisting of more than 370 battle force People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vessels, China controls a shadow fleet of up to 200,000 fishing boats as an informal militia. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Apr. 2026 The company now controls of 86% of the market for concerts and 73% of the overall market when sports events are included, according to Kessler. —Larry Neumeister, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026 The company controls concerts, tickets and event venues as part of its live event business. —Mason Leib, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026 The property has over a mile of frontage along the Fall River and controls the Spring and Lava creek tributaries. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2026 Since that time, that state has gotten to a point where the highest bidder controls the state. —Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controls
Noun
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The faster real-time data updates will give controllers more time to pay attention to planes, according to the FAA.— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
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Human operators control robots remotely—often via VR or master controllers—while recording detailed multimodal data such as joint motion, force, and vision.— Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Football has traditionally been a conduit for protests in Iran, with the national team refusing to sing the anthem on several occasions over recent decades, including during the 2009 Green Movement and after the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police in 2022.— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
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The Norwegian had just scored the winning goal in his team’s 2-1 victory against title rival Arsenal, a result which puts the fate of the trophy in City’s hands with just five matches left to play.— Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Demolition and recovery operations will resume Sunday morning at the site of the parking garage that partially collapsed this week in Grays Ferry.— Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
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Security company Trend Micro has documented that actors who’ve worked on past operations benefiting the North Korean government have used these addresses, particularly in scams involving fake recruiters.— Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Concerns abound, then, that Mythos falls into the wrong hands—only for corporate chiefs and government officials to find themselves on the receiving end of its powers.— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
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Its internal heat powers our solar system’s fastest winds, measured at an incredible 2,200 kilometers per hour—faster than the speed of sound.— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Records show the agency that primarily regulates hydropower dams, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, sent warning letters for years to a shifting cast of owners while granting multiple extensions.— CBS News, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
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The bill, led by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, regulates the fastest and most high-powered e-bikes, and defines and regulates other micromobility devices, such as scooters, skateboards and unicycles.— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lawlor’s book contains chapters devoted to politics, but her inclination to reach for examples of the reasonable and unreasonable that any reader will intuitively share serves her less well here.— Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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Every yard contains underground pipes that bring in services such as natural gas and water and carry away sewage.— Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The rollbacks included minimum wage requirements for home healthcare workers and people with disabilities, and rules governing exposure to harmful substances and safety procedures at mines.— Seung Min Kim, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
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The rollbacks included minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities, and rules governing exposure to harmful substances and safety procedures at mines.— Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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It’s been really awesome to watch the difference in how everyone operates.— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2026
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The current system operates at relatively modest energies, producing visible light.— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/controls. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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