micromanage

verb

mi·​cro·​man·​age ˌmī-krō-ˈma-nij 

micromanaged; micromanaging; micromanages

transitive verb

: to manage especially with excessive control or attention to small matters that is not wanted or causes problems

likes to micromanage every detail of the budget

intransitive verb

: to direct or conduct the activities of a group or an enterprise by micromanaging them

Your team members … want to develop and self-direct. If you micromanage, they can't demonstrate their competence …

—Lisa Zigarmi

micromanagement

ˌmī-krō-ˈma-nij-mənt 

noun

micromanager

ˌmī-krō-ˈma-ni-jər 

noun

Examples of micromanage in a Sentence

He micromanaged every detail of the budget.

Recent Examples on the Web

That didn’t appear to be the case in this instance; this was personal animosity—a secretary who was micromanaging personnel decisions in the Army, looking to put his own stamp on that service. —Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

Chill bosses don't micromanage. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026

As the clock counts down to Rachel and Nicky’s wedding, which is being micromanaged by Nicky’s sister Portia (Gus Birney), the Cunningham family reveals a few secrets of their own. —Sam Reed, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2026

Central leadership must establish shared goals and standards for outcomes rather than attempting to micromanage operations. —Lawrence Rosenberg, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for micromanage

• manage
• tannage