Definition of MANIFEST

Choose the Right Synonym for manifest

Adjective

evident, manifest, patent, distinct, obvious, apparent, plain, clear mean readily perceived or apprehended. evident implies presence of visible signs that lead one to a definite conclusion. an evident fondness for sweets manifest implies an external display so evident that little or no inference is required. manifest hostility patent applies to a cause, effect, or significant feature that is clear and unmistakable once attention has been directed to it. patent defects distinct implies such sharpness of outline or definition that no unusual effort to see or hear or comprehend is required. a distinct refusal obvious implies such ease in discovering that it often suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer. the obvious solution apparent is very close to evident except that it may imply more conscious exercise of inference. for no apparent reason plain suggests lack of intricacy, complexity, or elaboration. her feelings about him are plain clear implies an absence of anything that confuses the mind or obscures the pattern. a clear explanation

Verb

show, manifest, evidence, evince, demonstrate mean to reveal outwardly or make apparent. show is the general term but sometimes implies that what is revealed must be gained by inference from acts, looks, or words. careful not to show his true feelings manifest implies a plainer, more immediate revelation. manifested musical ability at an early age evidence suggests serving as proof of the actuality or existence of something. a commitment evidenced by years of loyal service evince implies a showing by outward marks or signs. evinced not the slightest fear demonstrate implies showing by action or by display of feeling. demonstrated their approval by loud applause

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The shame of Independence Day being so politicised was manifest. — The Economist, "Donald Trump: foreign policy showman," 3 July 2019 The real fear is manifest in a mounting sense that this is a mere skirmish in a more consequential struggle for the world over the next decade. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "From Covington Catholic to an Uneasy Davos," 25 Jan. 2019 If all goes well with the rest of its manifest this year, China will launch a Long March 3B rocket carrying the Chang'e-4 lunar mission late this year. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Japan chasing SpaceX, missile-test failure, Russian trolling," 3 Aug. 2018 The Sulawesi ferry, with 139 passengers aboard according to its manifest, began sinking Tuesday afternoon in rough seas. — Fox News, "Passengers rescued from stricken Indonesia ferry; 29 dead," 3 July 2018 Of all the examples of damage done to India’s water resources, none is more striking than the manifest befouling of the Ganges (known in India as the Ganga). — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, "‘Unruly Waters’ and ‘Ganges’ Review: In India, Water Is Politics," 4 Jan. 2019 But neuroimaging has shown that, if a chronic-pain sufferer and an unafflicted person are given the same burn or pinprick, their brains manifest activity differently. — Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, "The Neuroscience of Pain," 9 May 2016 Democrats being more enthusiastic about voting may very well manifest in a wave of Democratic victories in November. — Philip Bump, Washington Post, "People who say they’re most eager to vote strongly disapprove of Trump in a new poll," 26 Mar. 2018 The former celebrates freedom and its manifest expressions; the latter celebrates order and control. — Shlomo Angel, WSJ, "‘Building and Dwelling’ Review: A Manifesto for the Open City," 6 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Though the album will be Lovinggood's first full-length release in five years, the songs have been quietly manifesting themselves in a series of writing sessions with other artists. — Chris Davidson, al.com, "Birmingham’s Preston Lovinggood releases new album," 17 June 2019 Richman and his wife Jennifer Hensel, both scientists, created the foundation to promote research into how a propensity for violence is manifested. — Pat Eaton-robb, The Seattle Times, "Newtown dad who probed violence dies in apparent suicide," 25 Mar. 2019 At the center of the West Wing drama has been a president who aides say is not easily controlled and whose dark moods of late have manifested themselves in private fits of rage as well as policy gyrations. — Author: Damian Paletta, Philip Rucker, Anchorage Daily News, "Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser, resigns amid differences on trade policy," 7 Mar. 2018 The markers probably exist decades before the symptoms manifest themselves. — Betsy Isaacson, Newsweek, "A Fitbit for Your Brain Is Around the Corner," 3 Apr. 2016 Netanyahu made no mention of whether Israel would be willing to make concessions needed to manifest the plan’s ambitious goals. — Washington Post, "Israeli PM calls US economic peace plan ‘brilliant’," 28 June 2019 The fascination with the exotic, soon to manifest in safaris, in Gauguin’s move to Tahiti, and in the market for tribal masks in Paris, was intrinsic to the spread of empire. — María Gainza, Harper's magazine, "Both Sides Now," 10 May 2019 That means, for the disease to manifest, both copies of a gene must have the Tay-Sachs mutation. — Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, "George Church Wants to Make Genetic Matchmaking a Reality," 15 Apr. 2019 Looking back, hate-crimes legislation was supposed to manifest society’s special sensitivity to acts stoking group antagonism. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Are Hate-Crime Laws Helping?," 22 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The plane’s tail number and details from the flight manifest have not yet been released. — Jake Bleiberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Official: 10 dead in Dallas-area small plane crash," 30 June 2019 The documents list the names of Uber employees on the manifest. — oregonlive.com, "Look out, New York City: Uber Copter is coming soon," 8 June 2019 The agency is now using systems that verify your ID and match it up to flight manifests, so no boarding pass necessary at this stop. — Scott Mccartney, WSJ, "The Airport of Tomorrow," 11 Dec. 2018 CargoMetrics’s tools offer an unprecedented level of freight-pricing transparency to shipping companies, many of which currently rely on a paper manifest system overseen by a few international brokerages and middle men. — John Konrad, BostonGlobe.com, "The next global tech disruption will happen where few expect it," 28 June 2019 There are the different ways in which the two sisters’ depression manifests, with Rachel retreating into herself (and her Ashley fandom) while Jack lashes out against the world. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Black Mirror: ‘Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too’ Is a Fascinating Jumble," 5 June 2019 The documents list the names of Uber employees on the manifest. — oregonlive.com, "Look out, New York City: Uber Copter is coming soon," 8 June 2019 The documents list the names of Uber employees on the manifest. — Hailey Waller, Fortune, "Coming Soon: Uber to Offer Helicopter Rides In New York City," 6 June 2019 The launch contract gives the Falcon Heavy a manifest of at least six launches over the next two-to-three years. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Why SpaceX stays in LA, Russia moves on, buy a missile silo," 19 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manifest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.