manipulate
verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt 
manipulated; manipulating
1
: to move or control with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner
a baby learning to manipulate blocks
Parallel parking requires manipulating a large, heavy, expensive thing into a tight space …—
Aarian Marshall
Aarian Marshall2
a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
As part of the experiment, students manipulated light and temperature to see how it affected the plants.
… quantify our data and manipulate it statistically …—S. L. Payne
S. L. Payne3
: to change by deceptive or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose : doctor
The company manipulated its accounts to exaggerate its profits.
… suspected that the police reports were manipulated …—Evelyn G. Cruickshanks
Evelyn G. CruickshanksExamples of manipulate in a Sentence
The baby is learning to manipulate blocks.
The mechanical arms are manipulated by a computer.
The doctor manipulated my back.
The program was designed to organize and manipulate large amounts of data.
He's always been good at manipulating numbers in his head.
As part of the experiment, students manipulated light and temperature to see how it affected the plants.
She knows how to manipulate her parents to get what she wants.
He felt that he had been manipulated by the people he trusted most.
The editorial was a blatant attempt to manipulate public opinion.
He's accused of trying to manipulate the price of the stock.
Recent Examples on the Web
If robots can reliably manipulate objects without being retrained for each new situation, they can actually be used in tasks like helping around the home to clean, tidy, and perhaps even cook.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Nov. 2025
At the end of Season 4, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)—the antagonist who possessed and murdered victims after manipulating their minds—was revealed to be the ruler of the Upside Down, the parallel dimension Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was transported to after being kidnapped in the first season.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2025
The interview — secured only after Diana and her brother Charles Spencer were manipulated by journalist Martin Bashir through a series of deceptions — went ahead, and her life was never the same.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
That flickering image inspired Peele’s 2022 blockbuster neo-Western sci-fi thriller Nope, which delves into the idea of manipulating human perception for the benefit of spectacle and exploitation.
—James Edward Mills, Outside, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulate
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Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Nov. 2025
At the end of Season 4, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)—the antagonist who possessed and murdered victims after manipulating their minds—was revealed to be the ruler of the Upside Down, the parallel dimension Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was transported to after being kidnapped in the first season.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2025
The interview — secured only after Diana and her brother Charles Spencer were manipulated by journalist Martin Bashir through a series of deceptions — went ahead, and her life was never the same.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
That flickering image inspired Peele’s 2022 blockbuster neo-Western sci-fi thriller Nope, which delves into the idea of manipulating human perception for the benefit of spectacle and exploitation.
—James Edward Mills, Outside, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulate
Cite this Entry
“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manipulate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
manipulate
verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt
manipulated; manipulating
1
: to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially with skill
manipulate the trackball
2
: to manage or use skillfully
manipulate masses of statistics
3
: to manage especially with intent to deceive
manipulate accounts
manipulate public opinion
Medical Definition
manipulate
transitive verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt
manipulated; manipulating
1
: to treat or operate with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner
manipulate the fragments of a broken bone into correct position
2
a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
b
: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage
manipulativeness
noun
Legal Definition
manipulate
transitive verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt
manipulated; manipulating
: to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose
specifically
: to affect (the price of securities) artificially in order to deceive or mislead investors
manipulatively
adverb
manipulativeness
noun
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