comptroller

noun

comp·trol·ler kən-ˈtrō-lər

ˈkäm(p)-ˌtrō-,

käm(p)-ˈtrō-

: a royal-household official who examines and supervises expenditures

: a public official who audits government accounts and sometimes certifies expenditures

: controller sense 1c

comptrollership

kən-ˈtrō-lər-ˌship

ˈkäm(p)-ˌtrō-

käm(p)-ˈtrō-

noun

Did you know?

If you think "comptroller" looks like a mistaken spelling of "controller," you're partially right. Today, "comptroller" is an established word that shares one of its meanings (sense 3) with "controller." The term did originate as a misspelling, however. Around the 15th century, Middle English speakers altered the spelling of "conterroller" (meaning "controller," from the Middle French contrerolleur) under the influence of the Middle French word compte ("account"). The resulting word, "comptroller," has attracted criticism over the years. Grammarian Henry Fowler condemned "comptroller" as "not merely archaic, but erroneous" in 1920, and a lexicographical column from 1931 agreed that "comptroller" is "erroneous and should not be accepted as correct." Nevertheless, such modern institutions as colleges and governments continue to have comptrollers. "Comptrollership" occasionally turns up as well.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Fonfara’s co-chair on the finance committee, Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, is running for state comptroller this fall.

Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2022 In another showing of a Republican fissure, Barry Glassman, the Republican comptroller candidate and currently the county executive for Harford County, donated $500 to Moore.

Emmett Gartner, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2022 Councilman Brad Lander of Brooklyn, another comptroller candidate, spoke in favor of the proposal at a virtual hearing earlier this year, as did Benjamin Kallos, a councilman from Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

New York Times, 27 Apr. 2021 Out of those, 134,010 were approved, according to the comptroller’s office.

Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 17 Nov. 2022 So far this year, Boerne residents and visitors have spent more than $3.71 million on booze, according to data provided by the state comptroller’s office.

Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Aug. 2022 According to the comptroller’s office, 2.5 million returns have been filed and $1.93 billion in refunds have been issued.

Caitlyn Freeman, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2022 Even before the pandemic, the four casinos in upstate New York fell short of their revenue targets, according to a 2020 report from the state comptroller’s office.

New York Times, 4 June 2022 The ads have also been successful at reuniting people with property, the comptroller’s office said.

Erin Cox, Washington Post, 29 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comptroller.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.