manage

1 of 2

verb

man·​age ˈma-nij 

managed; managing

transitive verb

1

: to handle or direct with a degree of skill: such as

a

: to exercise executive, administrative, and supervisory direction of

manage a business

manage a bond issue

manages a baseball team

b

: to treat with care : husband

managed his resources carefully

c

: to make and keep compliant

can't manage their child

2

: to direct the professional career of

an agency that manages entertainers

3

: to succeed in accomplishing : contrive

managed to escape from prison

4

: to work upon or try to alter for a purpose

manage the press

manage stress

intransitive verb

1

: to achieve one's purpose

He managed only by careful planning.

2

a

: to direct or carry on business or affairs

also : to direct a baseball team

b

: to admit of being carried on

manage

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the schooling or handling of a horse

b

: a riding school

c

archaic : the action and paces of a trained riding horse

2

obsolete : management

Synonyms

Verb

• address
• contend (with)
• cope (with)
• field
• grapple (with)
• hack
• handle
• maneuver
• manipulate
• negotiate
• play
• swing
• take
• treat

Choose the Right Synonym for manage

conduct, manage, control, direct mean to use one's powers to lead, guide, or dominate.

conduct implies taking responsibility for the acts and achievements of a group.

conducted negotiations

manage implies direct handling and manipulating or maneuvering toward a desired result.

manages a meat market

control implies a regulating or restraining in order to keep within bounds or on a course.

controlling his appetite

direct implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.

directs the store's day-to-day business

Examples of manage in a Sentence

Verb

The business is managed by the owner's daughter.

The company is badly managed.

When she managed the department, we never missed a deadline.

He manages his own finances.

an agency that manages entertainers

He is skillful in managing horses.

There's enough food if we manage it well.

We need to do a better job of managing our natural resources.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Local housing authorities, nonprofits and growers’ associations own the land and manage the migrant centers, which are concentrated in agriculture-heavy areas of the Central Valley and on the Central Coast. —Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024

Chevron says those sites are managed separately, not by Singer. —David Folkenflik, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024

Outside the healthcare sector, retailers of all types are beginning to apply AI to analyze customer behavior, processing massive amounts of real-time data on buying patterns, finding optimal pricing, and managing inventory. —Sean Hanlon, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

The federal government managed the supply of mpox vaccines available in the US during the public health emergency, but that process has since been commercialized. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

One man, 22-year-old Connor R. Ernst, died in the collapse, authorities said, while the rest of the crew managed to escape with some injuries. —Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

The Dali, which is managed by Synergy Marine Group, was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. —Lea Skene, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024

Honeysuckle plants are prolific growers and can form large infestations that are difficult to manage. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024

Molly formerly owned and managed a bakery and coffee shop. —Molly Allen, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024

Noun

This simple main manages to be unfussy and indulgent, simple and extraordinary. —Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023

But furry mammals like beavers and otters that spend most of their lives wet manage to avoid getting their fur slimy. —Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024

For whatever reason, there’s this perception that somehow the rich manage to reduce or eliminate taxes through some secret strategy that isn’t available to everyone else. —Tracy Lownsberry, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

But sometimes the government officials charged with speaking to the press manage to enhance our public discourse with cogent communication. —James Freeman, WSJ, 27 Oct. 2023

More than 140 countries have signed up as participants in the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s sprawling infrastructure development program, and China now owns, manages, or has invested in more than 100 ports in some 60 countries. —Robert M. Gates, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2023

This not-trying-too-hard new-build manages to feel both timely and timeless. —Rachel Barrett, Country Living, 5 Sep. 2023

Tatum and Brown don’t load manage and Tatum spoke to summer campers last month about the importance of playing in every game. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023

The slim fit manages to make these cargo pants look tapered and elevated as well. —Maverick Li, Men's Health, 28 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Italian maneggiare, from mano hand, from Latin manus

Noun

Italian maneggio management, training of a horse, from maneggiare

First Known Use

Verb

1561, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Phrases Containing manage

• stage-manage
• co-manage

Kids Definition

manage

verb

man·​age

ˈman-ij

managed; managing

1

: to look after and make decisions about : direct

manage a factory

2

: to make and keep under one's control : handle

manages her skis well

skill in managing horses

3

: to treat with care : husband

there's enough food if it's managed well

4

: to succeed in one's purpose : get along

manages despite a heavy schedule

always manages to win somehow

5

: to work upon or try to alter for a purpose

manage stress

6

: to direct the professional career of

an agency managing performers

manageability

ˌman-ij-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

manageable

ˈman-ij-ə-bəl

adjective

Etymology

Verb

from Italian maneggiare "to handle, direct, manage," from mano "hand," from Latin manus "hand" — related to maneuver, manual, manufacture see Word History at maneuver

Medical Definition

manage

transitive verb

man·​age ˈman-ij 

managed; managing

: to conduct the management of

poorly managed diabetes