manipulate

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

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

—

manipulation

play \-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən\ noun

—

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

His appearance will give lawmakers the opportunity to grill him about the Cambridge Analytica episode, as well as evidence that Russian agents manipulated Facebook's network to spread false information that may have swayed the 2016 election.

— michael biesecker and michael liedtke, chicagotribune.com, "Body parts from threatened wildlife widely sold on Facebook," 10 Apr. 2018
His appearance will give lawmakers the opportunity to grill him about the Cambridge Analytica episode, as well as evidence that Russian agents manipulated Facebook's network to spread false information that may have swayed the 2016 election.

— michael biesecker and michael liedtke, The Christian Science Monitor, "Facebook's latest low mark: selling illegal and threatened animal parts," 10 Apr. 2018
Lawmakers were unsatisfied with Facebook’s response last year to revelations that Russian trolls had manipulated its network to meddle in the 2016 election.

— Bloomberg.com, "Zuckerberg Testifies Before Senate Panel," 10 Apr. 2018
The headset would be equipped with a Leap Motion sensor, so users could precisely manipulate objects with their hands — something the company has previously offered for desktop and VR displays.

— adi robertson, The Verge, "Leap Motion designed a $100 augmented reality headset with super-powerful hand tracking," 9 Apr. 2018
His appearance will give lawmakers the opportunity to grill him about the Cambridge Analytica episode, as well as evidence that Russian agents manipulated Facebook's network to spread false information that may have swayed the 2016 election.

— CBS News, "Facebook showing ads promoting sale of body parts from threatened wildlife, complaint says," 9 Apr. 2018
Some investigators have opted to go high tech, manipulating the images and using Google Earth to nail down details.

— chelsea brasted, NOLA.com, "There's a secret treasure in New Orleans. We may have found it," 9 Apr. 2018
Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Facebook and the very real problem of keeping student data private," 5 Apr. 2018
Researchers have for some time been able to grow immature heart tissue using induced pluripotent stem cells, which are taken from blood samples and can be manipulated to mature into virtually any type of tissue.

— jamie ducharme, Fortune, "Columbia Researchers Grew Tissue That Acts Just Like Human Heart Muscle," 5 Apr. 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

: 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 \

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 \

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

—

manipulative

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

—

manipulativeness

noun

Law Dictionary

manipulate

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

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

—

manipulable

play \mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-bəl\ adjective

—

manipulation

play \mə-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən\ noun

—

manipulative

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

—

manipulatively

adverb

—

manipulativeness

noun

—

manipulator

play \mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tər\ noun

—

manipulatory

play \mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

Learn More about manipulate

See words that rhyme with manipulate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for manipulate Spanish Central: Translation of manipulate Nglish: Translation of manipulate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of manipulate for Arabic speakers

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Examples of manipulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of manipulate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of manipulate

manipulate Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

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MANIPULATE Defined for English Language Learners

manipulate

MANIPULATE Defined for Kids

manipulate

Medical Dictionary

manipulate

manipulative

manipulativeness

Law Dictionary

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manipulable

manipulation

manipulative

manipulatively

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manipulator

manipulatory

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