Control
Control verb - To keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression).
Usage example: you must learn to control your temper
Govern is a synonym for control in affect topic. In some cases you can use "Govern" instead a verb "Control", when it comes to topics like manage, direct, command, rule. popular alternative
Govern
Govern verb - To exercise authority or power over.
Usage example: the president is elected in order to govern the country, not to follow public opinion polls
Control is a synonym for govern in rule topic. You can use "Control" instead the word "Govern" as a verb or a noun, if it concerns topics such as restrain, check, manage, determine. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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The Needs of the Many: The White Council lives by the Seven Laws of Magic that help govern and control the wizards from doing black magic.
Source: Literature / Blood Rites - Believing that humans are destructive by nature, humanity themselves designed a system of artificial intelligences to control and govern them.
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Deciding that humanity wasn't mature enough to effectively govern itself anymore, the world's vampires took control over every government in the world literally overnight.
Source: Literature / Vampirocracy
Cite this Source
Govern and Control. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/control/govern
Control & Govern. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/control/govern>.
Govern or Control. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/control/govern.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "control" and "govern" have occurred on timeline