manhandle

verb

man·​han·​dle ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl How to pronounce manhandle (audio)
manhandled; manhandling; manhandles

transitive verb

1
: to handle roughly
2
: to move or manage by human force
manhandled the posts into place

Examples of manhandle in a Sentence

They manhandled the heavy boxes onto the truck. She manhandled the posts into place. He was manhandling the boy. He says he was manhandled by the police.
Recent Examples on the Web The 2022 first round draft pick led the Packers with 118 tackles and had 2.5 sacks, but also found himself out of position too often and manhandled by interior linemen at times. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 But that shouldn’t give you the go-ahead to manhandle your strands on wash day. Lily Moe, Health, 7 Feb. 2024 The Crimson Tide were a mess early in the year, getting manhandled at home by Texas and barely scraping by South Florida. Paul Newberry, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 They were being manhandled on offense and embarrassed on defense. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024 After a three-point play by Kern pulled PSU back within 18-12, MSU started to manhandle the Nittany Lions, who managed just one field goal over the next 7:49. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 5 Jan. 2024 Video circulated online showing Erez being manhandled by a Hamas gunman and walked toward Gaza. Becky Perlow, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2023 Orlando police arrested Stacy in November 2021 after viewing a video that showed Stacy manhandling the woman in the presence of their 5-month-old child. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 28 Feb. 2023 Instead, our Good Housekeeping Institute parenting pros and early-childhood specialists focused on developmental toys that help with specific skills as well as toys that can be manhandled by your baby and that engage more than one of their senses. Jessica Hartshorn, Good Housekeeping, 28 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manhandle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of manhandle was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near manhandle

Cite this Entry

“Manhandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manhandle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

manhandle

verb
man·​han·​dle ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl How to pronounce manhandle (audio)
1
: to handle roughly
2
: to move or manage by human force

More from Merriam-Webster on manhandle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!