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

Other Words from manipulate Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About manipulate

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

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web In the following decades, scientists learned new ways to record, manipulate and channel the brain’s electrical signals, constructing ever-more-elaborate bridges between mind and machine. — New York Times, 12 May 2022 But even a few hundred million can be enough to manipulate or attack some of the crypto market’s smaller and less liquid assets. — Paul Vigna, WSJ, 8 May 2022 Speakers work by vibrating a membrane to manipulate air and create sound waves. — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 30 Apr. 2022 In this, her work is different from the elaborate concoctions of the Surrealists and digital artists minting NFTs, who instead set out to surprise and manipulate the viewer. — Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2022 But they are not deliberately engineered by the elites who oversee them to disempower or manipulate ordinary people. — Francis Fukuyama, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 Facebook researchers have long known that bad actors game the system and manipulate the platform's algorithms. — Musadiq Bidar, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2022 In Musk’s mind, these internal algorithms are subject to wholly insufficient scrutiny, giving the company immense power to manipulate and shape our public square. — Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2022 Documentary filmmakers typically enjoy the freedom to distort and manipulate storylines to weave cohesive narratives. — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2022 See More

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.

Learn More About manipulate

Dictionary Entries Near manipulate

manipular

manipulate

manipulative

Statistics for manipulate

Last Updated

18 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manipulate. Accessed 26 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for manipulate

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

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