manhandle
verb
man·han·dle
ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl 
manhandled; manhandling; manhandles
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
Making the scene even more a spectacle was the fact that Yam Yam was literally being manhandled and dragged out of the castle while doing so.
—
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
After his holstered gun was discovered under his coat and removed while he was being manhandled, he was executed on the spot by one of the officers despite lying unarmed and defenseless on the ground.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Miami hoped to use its sheer size to manhandle Indiana and dominate both lines of scrimmage.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
From the first-quarter red-zone stand to the fourth-quarter strip sack that left Justin Herbert twisted, bloodied and dazed, the Patriots defense manhandled the Los Angeles Chargers in the teams’ wild-card playoff matchup.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manhandle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
After his holstered gun was discovered under his coat and removed while he was being manhandled, he was executed on the spot by one of the officers despite lying unarmed and defenseless on the ground.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Miami hoped to use its sheer size to manhandle Indiana and dominate both lines of scrimmage.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
From the first-quarter red-zone stand to the fourth-quarter strip sack that left Justin Herbert twisted, bloodied and dazed, the Patriots defense manhandled the Los Angeles Chargers in the teams’ wild-card playoff matchup.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manhandle
Cite this Entry
“Manhandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manhandle. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
manhandle
verb
man·han·dle
ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl
1
: to handle roughly
2
: to move or manage by human force
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
