manipulate

verb ma·nip·u·late \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Examples: manipulate in a Sentence

Definition of manipulate

manipulated; manipulating

transitive verb

1 : to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner

manipulate a pencil

manipulate a machine

2 a : to manage or utilize skillfully

quantify our data and manipulate it statistically
—S. L. Payne

b : to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage

being used and manipulated by the knowing men around him
—New Republic

3 : to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose : doctor

suspected that the police reports were manipulated
—Evelyn G. Cruickshanks

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manipulatable

play \-ˌlā-tə-bəl\ adjective

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manipulation

play \-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən\ noun

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manipulative

play \mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv, -lə-\ adjective

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manipulatively

adverb

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manipulativeness

noun

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manipulator

play \-ˌlā-tər\ noun

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manipulatory

play \-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See manipulate defined for English-language learners

See manipulate defined for kids

Examples of manipulate in a Sentence

The baby is learning to manipulate blocks.
The mechanical arms are manipulated by a computer.
The doctor manipulated my back.
The program was designed to organize and manipulate large amounts of data.
He's always been good at manipulating numbers in his head.
As part of the experiment, students manipulated light and temperature to see how it affected the plants.
She knows how to manipulate her parents to get what she wants.
He felt that he had been manipulated by the people he trusted most.
The editorial was a blatant attempt to manipulate public opinion.
He's accused of trying to manipulate the price of the stock.

Recent Examples of manipulate from the Web

Strap-length adjustments are buttery smooth thanks to an aluminum clasp that can be manipulated with one hand, and the seatbelt-style nylon webbing slides easily over my clothing and will take plenty of abuse.

— jakob schiller, Outside Online, "Five Pieces of Perfectly Designed Gear," 3 July 2018
The Rangers could manipulate their rotation so that Fister's spot doesn't come up again until June 19.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram, "Rangers Reaction: Is Choo playing his way onto the trading block?," 8 June 2018
And the ability to use digital wizardry to manipulate performances has proven too tantalizing for filmmakers to resist, despite the ethical concerns raised about conjuring a performer's likeness posthumously.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Solo' revives thrill of seeing new actors inhabit old roles," 24 May 2018
There has never been an American presidency so easily manipulated by domestic and foreign business interests.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Has Now Broken Every One of His Economic Populist Promises," 11 May 2018
Paradoxically, the man with complete trust in his own instincts is easily manipulated.

— michael gerson, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump unbound amid a cloud of chaos," 18 Mar. 2018
The problem is, Unhinged Neighborhood Cook clearly has figured out a way to psychologically manipulate Kevin Gable—which points to her possible involvement with the mysterious death of Donna.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Kevin Can Wait Is Showing Some Very Serious Psychological Trauma," 6 Mar. 2018
More details began to emerge that showed how coldly the researchers had manipulated their subjects' lives.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Triplets ripped from family in a Nazi-like experiment, probed in Three Identical Strangers," 5 July 2018
Placeholder notation is what allows us to easily add, subtract, and otherwise manipulate numbers.

— brian resnick, Vox, "The mind-bendy weirdness of the number zero, explained," 5 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of manipulate

back-formation from manipulation, from French, from manipuler to handle an apparatus in chemistry, ultimately from Latin manipulus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1834

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

manipulate Synonyms

Synonyms

contrive, engineer, finagle, finesse, frame, machinate, maneuver, mastermind, negotiate, wangle;

Near Antonyms

blow, bobble, botch, bungle, butcher, flub, fumble, gum (up), louse up, mangle, mess (up), mishandle, muff;

angle (for), compass, intrigue, plot, scheme;

connive;

brew, concoct, cook (up), hatch;

captain, command, conduct, direct, handle, manage, quarterback, run;

gerrymander;

MANIPULATE Defined for English Language Learners

manipulate

verb

Definition of manipulate for English Language Learners

: to move or control (something) with your hands or by using a machine
medical : to move (muscles and bones) with your hands as a form of treatment
: to use or change (numbers, information, etc.) in a skillful way or for a particular purpose

MANIPULATE Defined for Kids

manipulate

verb ma·nip·u·late \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt \

Definition of manipulate for Students

manipulated; manipulating

1 : to operate, use, or move with the hands or by mechanical means

She learned to manipulate the levers of the machine.

2 : to manage skillfully and especially with intent to deceive

The candidates tried to manipulate public opinion.

Medical Dictionary

manipulate

transitive verb ma·nip·u·late \ mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt \

medical Definition of manipulate

manipulated; manipulating

1 : to treat or operate with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner

manipulate the fragments of a broken bone into correct position

2 a : to manage or utilize skillfully

b : to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage

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manipulative

play \-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt-iv, -lət-\ adjective

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manipulativeness

noun

Law Dictionary

manipulate

transitive verb ma·nip·u·late \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt \

legal Definition of manipulate

manipulated; manipulating

: to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose; specifically : to affect (the price of securities) artificially in order to deceive or mislead investors

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