Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use control in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun

Control means to exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of. Example: “With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.”

Examples of control by meaning

verbTo exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.

  • With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.
  • This was a wonderful advert for the Premier League, with both Chelsea and United intent on all-out attack - but Ferguson will be concerned at how his side lost their way after imperiously controlling much of the first period.2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC

verbTo hold in check, to curb, to restrain.

  • Because only by the Capette Pellet method of hormonization can growers be assured of controlled dosage and uniform results.1956, American Poultry Journal, volume 87, page 32

nounAn influence or authority over something.

  • The government has complete control over the situation.

nounRestraint or ability to contain one's movements or emotions, or self-control.

  • She had no control of her body as she tumbled downhill.2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Times
  • But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27

nounA duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register.

  • “The entries in the control accounts reflect respectively the effect of the transactions on the value of Korrinna company’s receivables (sales ledger control account) and payables (purchase ledger control account.”2006, Henry Lunt, Fundamentals of Financial Accounting, page 297
  • "Make sure you enter the total of any credit balances in the sales ledger into the Sales Ledger Control Account and the total of any debit balances in the purchase ledger into the Purchase Ledger Control Account."2012, Harold Randall, David Hopkins, Cambridge International AS and A Level Accounting Textbook, page 78
  • “Wages Control Account: This account records wage transactions in aggregate.2012, Aurora M.N., A textbook of Cost and Management Accounting, 10th Edition, page 12-3

nounA spirit that takes possession of a psychic or medium and allows other spirits to communicate with the living.

  • Guides, controls, psychic entities of some kind.1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html)...

More sentences with control

  • A remote operator may control the vehicle with a wireless handset.From the entry remote
  • Some skeptics have attributed changing temperatures to forces out of our control, such as axial procession.From the entry force
  • Manual controls allow the user to override the camera's default settings.From the entry override
  • The aircraft went into a sudden decline before the pilot regained control.From the entry decline
  • Seeing the flames, he ran to the control room and signalled headquarters.From the entry signal
  • Please don't monkey with the controls if you don't know what you're doing.From the entry monkey
  • He didn't really have a plan; he had a goal and a habit of control.From the entry plan
  • He acted on reflex, an acerebral reaction to a situation beyond his control.From the entry acerebral
  • In this study, participants were randomly assigned to either a control arm or a treatment arm.From the entry participant
  • They'd receive fewer complaints if they'd ensure that their quality control remains vigilant.From the entry they'd
  • Just before hitting the guardrail the driver regained control and pulled out of the skid.From the entry skid
  • We should put a cap on the salaries, to keep them under control.From the entry cap
  • The pilot lost control of the plane and had to eject.From the entry eject
  • Three people were ploughed down when he lost control of the truck.From the entry plough
  • This guy, here, controls the current, and this guy, here, measures the voltage.From the entry guy
  • This is what controls the flow of fuel into the carb.From the entry carb
  • Because he cambered the tires too much, he had less control on the turns.From the entry camber
  • He wrested the remote control from my grasp and changed the channel.From the entry wrest
  • The success of his undertaking is contingent upon events which he cannot control.From the entry contingent
  • The unofficial reason for invading the nation, however, was to control their resources.From the entry unofficial
  • As the stock car driver cornered the last turn, he lost control and spun out.From the entry corner
  • The car slid on the ice and veered out of control.From the entry veer
  • His betrayal was the beginning of a complex intrigue intended to give him control of the company.From the entry intrigue
  • "This situation is out of control. We need a SWAT," the policeman said.From the entry swat
  • Any uncommitted changes will be lost if you disconnect from the source control system.From the entry uncommitted
  • He is up for reelection next year, so he will try to control his image.From the entry up for
  • Once he had grasped the controls, he unleashed a demonic laugh that made his hostages shudder.From the entry demonic
  • In economic terms, the North controls four-fifths of the income earned anywhere in the world.From the entry north
  • Residents have little control over the industrial effluent that pollutes their rivers.From the entry effluent
  • As much as you may want to plan your funeral, you can't control when you go out.From the entry go out

Meaning of control

  1. verb To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
  2. verb (construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
  3. verb To verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.

Full definition of control

Questions about control in a sentence

How do you use control in a sentence?
Control is used as a verb and noun. For example: “With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.”
What is a short sentence with control?
“Guides, controls, psychic entities of some kind.”
What does control mean?
Control means to exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: control (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use control in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/control. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.