manipulate

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

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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 Burdick also did some work for Greenfield before becoming a fierce critic of his efforts to predict – and manipulate – voter behavior. — Seth Stern, The Christian Science Monitor, "How a tiny company paved the way for Big Tech – and big problems," 22 Sep. 2020 The gates manipulate the qubits and represent time steps as well. — Nikolai Sinitsyn, Scientific American, "The Quantum Butterfly Noneffect," 21 Sep. 2020 The fact that Lamb understands how to manipulate DBs with his pacing in the cat-and-mouse game of route running is a clear indication that his route-running prowess is much further along than the typical rookie receiver. — John Owning, Dallas News, "Film room: How did the Cowboys' rookie starters fare against the LA Rams?," 16 Sep. 2020 Just as high winds can push the fires along faster, the wind can also manipulate the direction and speed of wildfire smoke. — Sunset Magazine, "How Do We Breathe During the West Coast Fires? We Asked Dyson’s Air-Quality Expert for Advice," 10 Sep. 2020 Animators manipulate figures, one frame at a time, to simulate motion – creating a tactile effect especially well-suited for the tale of the famous puppet. — oregonlive, "Portland filmmakers scramble to shoot movies, TV and commercials during pandemic," 9 Sep. 2020 These outlets manipulate readers’ trust in local news as a means of delivering right-wing talking points. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Newsweek and the Rise of the Zombie Magazine," 18 Aug. 2020 Governments across Latin America have used the coronavirus to harass their opposition, delay or manipulate elections and consolidate power, undermining democracy in a manner not seen in the region in decades. — Washington Post, "In Haiti, coronavirus and a man named Barbecue test the rule of law," 14 Aug. 2020 Go back four decades and Rodchenkov was starting out in a Soviet system learning how to manipulate doping controls. — Rob Harris, Star Tribune, "AP Interview: Rodchenkov lives in fear after exposing doping," 11 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

26 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manipulate. Accessed 1 Oct. 2020.

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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

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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