manipulate

verb

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ma·nip·u·late | \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt

manipulated; manipulating

Definition of manipulate

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

2a : 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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Other Words from manipulate

manipulatable \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tə-bəl

\ adjective

manipulation \ mə-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən

\ noun

manipulator \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tər

\ noun

manipulatory \ mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē

\ adjective

Synonyms for manipulate

Synonyms

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 on the Web The new rules restrict price fixing and the use of algorithms and data to manipulate the market, and bar companies from forcing merchants to choose between platforms to sell their goods. — Naomi Xu Elegant, Fortune, "Beijing extends its antimonopoly campaign with new rules and a $500,000 fine," 8 Feb. 2021 Barring evidence that people were trying to manipulate the market, regulators may not have much to do. — Paul Kiernan, WSJ, "GameStop Frenzy Is Tough Call for Regulators Focused on Transparency," 7 Feb. 2021 First, the platforms' business models — originally designed to manipulate and addict — are the very reason that disinformation goes viral in the first place. — Sally Hubbard For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Forget bias, the real danger is Big Tech's overwhelming control over speech," 28 Oct. 2020 But someone else had gotten their hands on Compound-V and was using it to create super-powered terrorists in order to manipulate the US government into welcoming the Seven as a super-extension of the military. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: Don’t call it a comeback—The Boys returns better than ever in S2," 17 Oct. 2020 Caputo has faced scrutiny in recent weeks after being accused of trying to manipulate COVID-19 data for political purposes. — Savannah Behrmann, USA TODAY, "HHS spokesperson Michael Caputo diagnosed with cancer after taking medical leave," 25 Sep. 2020 Nikola has pushed back, accusing the short seller of making misleading statements that were designed to manipulate its shares. — Phil Serafino, Bloomberg.com, "Nikola Falls as SEC Said to Examine Short-Seller Allegations," 15 Sep. 2020 Investigators believe this tool was designed to manipulate the fuel selector between the left and right tanks. — Nicholas Rondinone, courant.com, "Estate of famed racer Ted Christopher files wrongful death suit in 2017 plane crash," 12 Sep. 2020 Last week, concluding a two-year investigation into the university’s admissions process, the Justice Department accused Yale of discriminating against white and Asian American applicants in order to manipulate the demographics of its student body. — J.c. Pan, The New Republic, "The Conservative Misdirection of the Affirmative Action Debate," 21 Aug. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manipulate. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for manipulate

manipulate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of manipulate

: 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

See the full definition for manipulate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

manipulate

verb

ma·nip·u·late | \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt

manipulated; manipulating

Kids Definition of manipulate

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.

manipulate

transitive verb

ma·nip·u·late | \ mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt

manipulated; manipulating

Medical Definition of manipulate

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

2a : to manage or utilize skillfully

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

Other Words from manipulate

manipulative \ -ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt-iv

, -lət-

\ adjective

manipulativeness noun

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manipulate

transitive verb

ma·nip·u·late | \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt

manipulated; manipulating

Legal Definition of manipulate

: 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

Other Words from manipulate

manipulable \ mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-bəl

\ adjective

manipulation \ mə-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən

\ noun

manipulative \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv, -lə-tiv

\ adjective

manipulatively adverb

manipulativeness noun

manipulator \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tər

\ noun

manipulatory \ mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē