Control vs. Prevent

Controlverb

(transitive) To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.

‘With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.’;

Preventverb

(transitive) To stop; to keep from.

‘I brushed my teeth to prevent them from going yellow.’;

Controlverb

(construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.

Preventverb

To take preventative measures.

Controlnoun

Influence or authority over something.

‘The government has complete control over the situation.’;

Preventverb

To come before; to precede.

Controlnoun

A separate group or subject in an experiment against which the results are compared where the primary variable is low or non-existent.

Preventverb

To outdo, surpass.

Controlnoun

The method and means of governing the performance of any apparatus, machine or system, such as a lever, handle or button.

Preventverb

To be beforehand with; to anticipate.

Controlnoun

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

Preventverb

To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct.

‘We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.’; ‘We pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us.’; ‘Then had I come, preventing Sheba's queen.’;

Controlnoun

A security mechanism, policy, or procedure that can counter system attack, reduce risks, and resolve vulnerabilities; a safeguard or countermeasure.

Preventverb

To be beforehand with; to anticipate.

‘Their ready guilt preventing thy commands.’;

Controlnoun

(project management) A means of monitoring for, and triggering intervention in, activities that are not going according to plan.

Preventverb

To intercept; to hinder; to frustrate; to stop; to thwart.

‘Perhaps forestalling night prevented them.’;

Controlnoun

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

Preventverb

To come before the usual time.

‘Strawberries . . . will prevent and come early.’;

Controlnoun

(graphical user interface) An interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box.

Preventverb

keep from happening or arising; have the effect of preventing;

‘My sense of tact forbids an honest answer’;

Controlnoun

(climatology) Any of the physical factors determining the climate of a place, such as latitude, distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.

Preventverb

prevent from doing something or being in a certain state;

‘We must prevent the cancer from spreading’; ‘His snoring kept me from falling asleep’; ‘Keep the child from eating the marbles’;

Controlnoun

(linguistics) A construction in which the understood subject of a given predicate is determined by an expression in context. See control.

Preventverb

keep (something) from happening

‘action must be taken to prevent further accidents’;

Controlnoun

A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register; a counter register.

Preventverb

stop (someone) from doing something

‘the guards threatened to bar the gates to prevent him leaving’; ‘locks won't prevent a determined burglar from getting in’;

Controlnoun

That which serves to check, restrain, or hinder; restraint.

Preventverb

(of God) go before (someone) with spiritual guidance and help.

Controlnoun

Power or authority to check or restrain; restraining or regulating influence; superintendence; government; as, children should be under parental control.

‘The House of Commons should exercise a control over all the departments of the executive administration.’;

Controlnoun

The complete apparatus used to control a mechanism or machine in operation, as a flying machine in flight;

Controlnoun

Any of the physical factors determining the climate of any particular place, as latitude,distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.

Controlnoun

in research, an object or subject used in an experimental procedure, which is treated identically to the primary subject of the experiment, except for the omission of the specific treatment or conditions whose effect is being investigated. If the control is a group of living organisms, as is common in medical research, it is called the control group.

Controlnoun

the part of an experimental procedure in which the controls{6} are subjected to the experimental conditions.

Controlnoun

the group of technical specialists exercising control by remote communications over a distant operation, such as a space flight; as, the American Mission Control for manned flights is located in Houston.

Controlverb

To check by a counter register or duplicate account; to prove by counter statements; to confute.

‘This report was controlled to be false.’;

Controlverb

To exercise restraining or governing influence over; to check; to counteract; to restrain; to regulate; to govern; to overpower.

‘Give me a staff of honor for mine age,But not a scepter to control the world.’; ‘I feel my virtue struggling in my soul:But stronger passion does its power control.’;

Controlverb

to assure the validity of an experimental procedure by using a control{7}.

Controlnoun

power to direct or determine;

‘under control’;

Controlnoun

a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another;

‘measures for the control of disease’; ‘they instituted controls over drinking on campus’;

Controlnoun

(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’;

Controlnoun

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’;

Controlnoun

the activity of managing or exerting control over something;

‘the control of the mob by the police was admirable’;

Controlnoun

the state that exists when one person or group has power over another;

‘her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her’;

Controlnoun

discipline in personal and social activities;

‘he was a model of polite restraint’; ‘she never lost control of herself’;

Controlnoun

great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity;

‘a good command of French’;

Controlnoun

the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.;

‘they wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls’;

Controlnoun

a mechanism that controls the operation of a machine;

‘the speed control on his turntable was not working properly’; ‘I turned the controls over to her’;

Controlnoun

a spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance

Controlverb

exercise authoritative control or power over;

‘control the budget’; ‘Command the military forces’;

Controlverb

lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits;

‘moderate your alcohol intake’; ‘hold your tongue’; ‘hold your temper’; ‘control your anger’;

Controlverb

handle and cause to function;

‘do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol’; ‘control the lever’;

Controlverb

control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage;

‘She manipulates her boss’; ‘She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up’; ‘The teacher knew how to keep the class in line’; ‘she keeps in line’;

Controlverb

verify or regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard, of scientific experiments;

‘Are you controlling for the temperature?’;

Controlverb

verify by using a duplicate register for comparison;

‘control an account’;

Controlverb

be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;

‘He verified that the valves were closed’; ‘See that the curtains are closed’; ‘control the quality of the product’;

Controlverb

have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of;

‘Do you control these data?’;

Controlnoun

the power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events

‘the whole operation is under the control of a production manager’; ‘the situation was slipping out of her control’;

Controlnoun

the ability to manage a machine, vehicle, or other moving object

‘he lost control of his car’; ‘improve your ball control’;

Controlnoun

the restriction of an activity, tendency, or phenomenon

‘crime control’;

Controlnoun

the ability to restrain one's own emotions or actions

‘she was goaded beyond control’;

Controlnoun

a means of limiting or regulating something

‘growing controls on local spending’;

Controlnoun

a switch or other device by which a device or vehicle is regulated

‘he had the chance to take the controls and fly the glider’; ‘the volume control’;

Controlnoun

the place from which a system or activity is directed or where a particular item is verified

‘passport control’;

Controlnoun

short for control key

‘note that Control plus various keys on the numeric keypad will move you around the text’;

Controlnoun

a person or thing used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment

‘platelet activity was higher in patients with the disease than in the controls’;

Controlnoun

a member of an intelligence organization who personally directs the activities of a spy

‘he sat with his KGB control as the details of his new assignment were explained’;

Controlnoun

a high card that will prevent the opponents from establishing a particular suit

‘he has controls in both minor suits’;

Controlverb

determine the behaviour or supervise the running of

‘he was appointed to control the company's marketing strategy’;

Controlverb

maintain influence or authority over

‘there were never enough masters to control the unruly mobs of boys’;

Controlverb

limit the level, intensity, or numbers of

‘he had to control his temper’;

Controlverb

remain calm and reasonable despite provocation

‘her eyes flashed angrily, but she made an effort to control herself’;

Controlverb

regulate (a mechanical or scientific process)

‘the airflow is controlled by a fan’;

Controlverb

take into account (an extraneous factor that might affect the results of an experiment)

‘no attempt was made to control for variations’;