controlled; controlling
1
2
a
: to incorporate suitable controls in
a controlled test
see also controlled experiment
b
archaic
: to check, test, or verify by evidence or experiments
: to incorporate controls in an experiment or study
—used with for
control for socioeconomic differences
1
a
: an act or instance of controlling
also
: power or authority to guide or manage
He took control of the family business.
b
: skill in the use of a tool, instrument, technique, or artistic medium
a singer's control of her voice
c
: the regulation of economic activity especially by government directive
—usually used in plural
price controls
rent controls
d
: the ability of a baseball pitcher to control the location of a pitch within the strike zone
3
: one that controls: such as
a
: a device or mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system
the controls of the aircraft
b
: an organization that directs a spaceflight
mission control
c(1)
(2)
: one (such as an organism, culture, or group) that is part of a control experiment and is used as a standard of comparison
… the residents in the experimental group also seemed to have a lower rate of mortality when compared with controls …—Ellen J. Langer and Jerry Avorn
—often used before another nounBecause patients sometimes get better or worse on their own, drug tests also need a control group to compare the new drug with standard treatment or a placebo.—Marilyn Chase
d
: a personality or spirit believed to actuate the utterances or performances of a spiritualist medium
4
or less commonly Control
: control key
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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