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

People who take medications such as diuretics, anticoagulants, ACE inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) to manage cardiovascular issues should also be careful, Tsourounis said, because ibuprofen stresses the kidneys and the heart. —Melinda Wenner Moyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

For now, however, Beijing and Moscow have demonstrated a remarkable ability to manage their differences. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024

Londra continues to be managed by Ignacio Amato and Cruz Pereyra Lucena (Buena Productora). —Thania Garcia, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024

Despite Edey being the game's highest scorer, the rest of the Boilermakers combined only managed 23 points. —CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024

Kennedy, whose campaign is managed by his daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a former CIA officer, and includes communications director Del Bigtree, the CEO of an anti-vaccine advocacy group, has promoted false claims, extreme positions and shifting postures on a variety of issues. —Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024

As a result, payment apps can contribute to financial stress at a time when young people are learning how to manage their finances on their own. —Kimberly Palmer Of Nerdwallet, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024

Maricopa County recorder The county recorder manages public records, including property documents and governmental information. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024

Ari Steinberg, managing partner of Morgan Stanley, did not respond to a request for comment. —Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024

Noun

To turn it on, look under the settings menu for Bluetooth and mobile devices, select manage devices, and enable your PC to access your Android phone. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024

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

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

• co-manage
• stage-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