Control
Control verb - To keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression).
Unlock
Unlock verb - To set free (from a state of being held in check).
Usage example: that last insult unlocked her tongue, and she finally said what she really thought
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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In the Spider-Man movie game, it's possible to unlock an alternate mode of play where the player takes control of Harry Osborne as the Green Goblin, looking to avenge his father.
Source: Another Side, Another Story - Sensory Overload's thirteenth floor has a triple unlock; finding the vent control switch to access an otherwise blocked vent, using said vent to access the temperature control so you don't get burned in the heat ducts, and finding the black passcard for the door at the end of the level.
Source: Double Unlock - To unlock the other two in your New Game+, you have to use them as Mission Control multiple times until their weapon becomes available in the R&D Lab.
Source: Double Unlock
Cite this Source
Unlock and Control. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/control/unlock
Control & Unlock. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/control/unlock>.
Unlock or Control. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/control/unlock.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "control" and "unlock" have occurred on timeline