Definition of manipulate
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
2a : to manage or utilize skillfully quantify our data and manipulate it statistically — S. L. Payneb : 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
manipulatively
adverbmanipulativeness
nounPeople Are Reading
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
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Vladimir Putin is a former KGB agent with decades of experience in manipulating whomever is seated across from him.
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The chemicals on the shelves—bottles of pure alcohol, bins of sugar, protein, and salts—are standard issue for growing microbes and manipulating their genes.
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Investigators arrested Dale Leary and his second wife last month on sex charges, saying the two had lured the wife's 14-year-old sister to Miami and manipulated her into participating in sex acts and pornographic photo shoots.
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Are central bankers twisted geniuses manipulating the markets in order to meet their inflation goals?
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Take the fight to the ground as if trying to manipulate a limb, then transition to a triangle choke.
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To use someone’s death to manipulate a scenario that has no basis in truth is disturbing.
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At Ole Miss, football coach Hugh Freeze has somehow manipulated unquestioned job security by his university despite running a program afoul of NCAA law.
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Zuma’s ties to the Gupta family, Indian immigrant businessmen accused of trying to manipulate top government leaders and state companies for financial gain, have stirred public anger.
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
MANIPULATE Defined for English Language Learners
manipulate
playDefinition of manipulate for English Language Learners
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: to move or control (something) with your hands or by using a machine
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medical : to move (muscles and bones) with your hands as a form of treatment
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: to use or change (numbers, information, etc.) in a skillful way or for a particular purpose
MANIPULATE Defined for Kids
manipulate
playDefinition of manipulate for Students
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
playMedical Definition of manipulate
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
2a: to manage or utilize skillfullyb: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage
manipulativeness
nounLaw Dictionary
manipulate
playLegal Definition of manipulate
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
manipulatively
adverbmanipulativeness
nounLearn More about manipulate
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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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