manipulate

verb

ma·nip·u·late | \mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt

manipulated; manipulating

Definition of manipulate

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

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Other Words from manipulate

manipulatable \-ˌlā-tə-bəl

\ adjective

manipulation \-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən

\ noun

manipulative \mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv,

-lə- \ adjective

manipulatively adverb

manipulativeness noun

manipulator \-ˌlā-tər

\ noun

manipulatory \-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.

Recent Examples on the Web

And on Monday, the MDC's chief election agent, Jameson Timba, said the state election commission had failed to provide an accurate voters' roll and was trying to manipulate the vote. — Christopher Torchia, Fox News, "After Mugabe, how free and fair will Zimbabwe's vote be?," 4 July 2018 Either way, no team would support a commissioner who favors the competitive interests of one team and tries to manipulate player transactions in order to benefit that team. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "DeMarcus Cousins and the NBA's Efforts to Keep Competitive Balance," 3 July 2018 Literature’s most astute observer of human nature didn’t need to witness 21st-century nativism to dramatize how distressed people can be manipulated. — Tom Saler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Tom Saler: History shows tariffs tend to end badly," 9 Mar. 2018 That's an expensive two-month rental, though as in any deal, the finances can be manipulated by the Rangers paying part of the contract. — Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, "Hamels knows what it's like to be traded. Why this time is different as Rangers seek suitors," 1 July 2018 The delay raised concerns that any chemicals potentially used could have degraded before inspectors reached the site or that evidence could have been manipulated. — Hilary Mcgann And Laura Smith-spark, CNN, "Experts want to exhume alleged Syria chemical attack victims for testing," 3 May 2018 Oxman is fascinated with organic systems and the potential for them to be manipulated. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "5 reasons why Neri Oxman is more important than Brad Pitt right now," 11 Apr. 2018 The photos and videos haven't been edited by the latest Instagram filter or otherwise digitally manipulated. — Allyson Chiu, courant.com, "Orange snow blankets Eastern Europe. There's an explanation.," 26 Mar. 2018 The city admitted early last year that contractors’ demolition bids were manipulated to avoid a $25,000 cap on per-house demolition costs. — Joe Guillen, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit demolition documents suggesting bid-rigging get FBI review," 9 Mar. 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.

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Dictionary Entries near manipulate

Statistics for manipulate

Last Updated

11 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for manipulate

The first known use of manipulate was in 1834

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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