man·i·fest
ˈma-nə-ˌfest 
1
: readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight
Their sadness was manifest in their faces.
2
: easily understood or recognized by the mind : obvious
manifestly
adverb
manifested; manifesting; manifests
: to make evident or certain by showing or displaying
manifester
noun
Examples of manifest in a Sentence
Adjective
The argument, for all of its manifest inadequacies … captured the national imagination and shaped subsequent religious discourse. It provided a vocabulary, an explanation, and a new set of boundaries for the restructured American religion that had by then been developing for half a century.
—
Jonathan D. Sarna, American Judaism, 2004
Economics, the great model among us now, indulges and deprives, builds and abandons, threatens and promises. Its imperium is manifest, irrefragable—as in fact it has been since antiquity.
—Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam, 1998
Washington has long been uneasy about its relationship with Somalia, partly because of the manifest shakiness of the Siad Barre administration but also because of Somalia's continuing claims on the Ogaden.
—John Borrell, Wall Street Journal, 23 Aug. 1982
His muscles were getting flabby, and his tailor called attention to his increasing waistband. In fact, Daylight was developing a definite paunch. This physical deterioration was manifest likewise in his face.
—Jack London, Burning Daylight, 1910
Their sadness was manifest in their faces.
His love for literature is manifest in his large library.
There was manifest confusion in the streets.
Verb
Malone has invited Barkley to spend a week … to relax, talk some basketball, eat some hot Louisiana food and kick around the subject of frustration, something they both feel but manifest in different ways.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 27 Apr. 1992
He asked what they had been doing in Dallas, and they told him that they were looking at the Sunbelt boom as manifested in the great Texas banks, thrifts and real estate operations.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, A Tenured Professor, 1990
And if one is a pantheist … one might say that all nature is divinity and manifests itself in myriad forms and delightful complexities.
—Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon, 1986
Both sides have manifested a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.
Their religious beliefs are manifested in every aspect of their lives.
Her behavior problems began manifesting themselves soon after she left home.
Noun
Since 2002, a program known as the Container Security Initiative requires our main trading partners to send to U.S. Customs and border Protection an electronic manifest for every U.S.-bound container twenty-four hours before it is loaded on a ship.
—William Finnegan, New Yorker, 19 June 2006
Has any passenger manifest been more fretted over than the Mayflower's?
—Jack Hitt, Harper's, July 2005
But for me, finding it still in "use" is high on the manifest of writerly thrills longed for—along with seeing someone you don't know hungrily reading your book on an overland bus in Turkey; or noticing your book on the shelf behind the moderator on Meet the Press next to The Wealth of Nations and Giants in the Earth; or seeing your book on a list of overlooked American masterpieces compiled by former insiders in the Kennedy administration.
—Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995
Jonathan D. Sarna, American Judaism, 2004
Economics, the great model among us now, indulges and deprives, builds and abandons, threatens and promises. Its imperium is manifest, irrefragable—as in fact it has been since antiquity.
—Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam, 1998
Washington has long been uneasy about its relationship with Somalia, partly because of the manifest shakiness of the Siad Barre administration but also because of Somalia's continuing claims on the Ogaden.
—John Borrell, Wall Street Journal, 23 Aug. 1982
His muscles were getting flabby, and his tailor called attention to his increasing waistband. In fact, Daylight was developing a definite paunch. This physical deterioration was manifest likewise in his face.
—Jack London, Burning Daylight, 1910
Their sadness was manifest in their faces.
His love for literature is manifest in his large library.
There was manifest confusion in the streets.
Verb
Malone has invited Barkley to spend a week … to relax, talk some basketball, eat some hot Louisiana food and kick around the subject of frustration, something they both feel but manifest in different ways.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 27 Apr. 1992
He asked what they had been doing in Dallas, and they told him that they were looking at the Sunbelt boom as manifested in the great Texas banks, thrifts and real estate operations.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, A Tenured Professor, 1990
And if one is a pantheist … one might say that all nature is divinity and manifests itself in myriad forms and delightful complexities.
—Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon, 1986
Both sides have manifested a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.
Their religious beliefs are manifested in every aspect of their lives.
Her behavior problems began manifesting themselves soon after she left home.
Noun
Since 2002, a program known as the Container Security Initiative requires our main trading partners to send to U.S. Customs and border Protection an electronic manifest for every U.S.-bound container twenty-four hours before it is loaded on a ship.
—William Finnegan, New Yorker, 19 June 2006
Has any passenger manifest been more fretted over than the Mayflower's?
—Jack Hitt, Harper's, July 2005
But for me, finding it still in "use" is high on the manifest of writerly thrills longed for—along with seeing someone you don't know hungrily reading your book on an overland bus in Turkey; or noticing your book on the shelf behind the moderator on Meet the Press next to The Wealth of Nations and Giants in the Earth; or seeing your book on a list of overlooked American masterpieces compiled by former insiders in the Kennedy administration.
—Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995
Recent Examples on the Web
Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
The arbitrator's award is usually final since the courts may only review an arbitration award for some very serious error, sometimes known as manifest error, such as where the arbitration process in a particular case was corrupt or if the arbitrator exceeds his or her authority.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
This reaction is triggered by the mosquito's saliva, which causes our immune system to release histamine, and usually manifests as inflammation, itching, discomfort, and visible red bumps.
—Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour, 7 July 2025
ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
The company alleged in the suit that the figure was drawn from manifests signed by its jeweler customers ahead of the tractor-trailer’s departure from San Mateo.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for manifest
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Adjective
That is the promise of the America-first agenda made manifest.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
The arbitrator's award is usually final since the courts may only review an arbitration award for some very serious error, sometimes known as manifest error, such as where the arbitration process in a particular case was corrupt or if the arbitrator exceeds his or her authority.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Verb
The Problem: What The AI Skills Gap Looks Like
The AI skills gap manifests differently across classrooms, but common patterns emerge that create real challenges for both teachers and students.
—Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
This reaction is triggered by the mosquito's saliva, which causes our immune system to release histamine, and usually manifests as inflammation, itching, discomfort, and visible red bumps.
—Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour, 7 July 2025
Noun
However, sources cautioned that the manifest could be moved around due to the readiness of subsequent New Glenn vehicles and their payloads.
—ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
The company alleged in the suit that the figure was drawn from manifests signed by its jeweler customers ahead of the tractor-trailer’s departure from San Mateo.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for manifest
Cite this Entry
“Manifest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifest. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
manifest
1 of 3 adjective
man·i·fest
ˈman-ə-ˌfest
: clear to the senses or mind : obvious
their relief was manifest
manifestly
adverb
manifest
2 of 3 verb
: to show plainly : display
manifest
3 of 3 noun
: a list of cargo or passengers especially for a ship or plane
Legal Definition
manifest
1 of 3 adjective
man·i·fest
ˈma-nə-ˌfest
1
: capable of being readily perceived by the senses and especially by sight
a manifest injury
2
: capable of being easily understood or recognized : clearly evident, obvious, and indisputable
vacating an arbitrator's award because of the arbitrator's manifest disregard of the law
manifestly
adverb
manifest
2 of 3 transitive verb
: to make evident or certain by showing or displaying
manifesting the intent to make a gift
manifest
3 of 3 noun
: a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a vehicle (as a ship or plane)
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