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remote control

remote control

70 2.2
A small device you use to control a TV or other machine from a distance
  • noun
  • /rɪˈmoʊt kənˈtroʊl/
translation icon : mando a distancia
  • The driver can use a remote control to tilt the body and dump out its contents.
  • TV remote control
  • use a remote control
  • operate by remote control

I feel like this is an excessively large remote control for such a tiny little item.

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Examples

  • A remote control for a video camera.

  • This device is the remote control of our society.

  • In my hand, I held the universal remote control for my home entertainment system.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • After his first sip, he used a remote control to switch on a TV set.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • After a while, she reaches for the TV's remote control and switches to the news channel.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Dulaney turns around to find Rebecca standing behind him, a remote control in her hand.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I used the remote control to change the channel on the television from across the room.

  • Can you help me find the remote control for the air conditioner?

  • With the remote control, you can easily adjust the volume without getting up.

Synonyms

control
vsremote control
2.7

A part you use to operate or change a machine

is limited by distance usage rather than any general operating mechanism
controller
vsremote control
  • Specialized
74 3.8

A device that makes a machine or system work correctly

focuses on operating from afar instead of continuous regulation or direction
remote
vsremote control
54 2.7

A small device used to control a TV or other machine from a distance

is the fuller compound term often used in formal descriptions
clicker
vsremote control
  • US
9 2.9

A small remote control used to change TV channels and volume

is the broader device term used beyond small hand-held units

Antonyms

101 3.8

Done by hand rather than by a machine

How Complex

remote terminal
  • Specialized
1 5.8
remote control
70 2.2
clicker
  • US
9 2.9
button
730 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

remote + control

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'remote' (from a distance) with 'control' (a mechanism for operating something), yielding a control operated from a distance. This straightforward noun–noun compound follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Remote control is named for the idea that a small box lets you control something while you are remote from it. Picture changing the TV from across the room; because it works 'from a distance', the name means 'a tool that lets you control a machine from a distance'.