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

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

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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 To do so, Ayzenberg and Lourenco manipulated the objects in certain ways, such as shifting the placement of an arm in relation to the rest of the body or changing how skinny, bulging, or wavy the outlines were. — Dana G. Smith, Scientific American, "No Bones about It, People Recognize Objects by Visualizing Their “Skeletons”," 11 Sep. 2019 Some women described their shame and embarrassment, saying Epstein manipulated them, dangling his wealth and power and connection to celebrities and political figures, while seizing on their vulnerabilities. — Tom Hayes, sun-sentinel.com, "‘Coward.’ Jeffrey Epstein accusers pour out their anger in court," 27 Aug. 2019 Yes, the details here are heightened: A rich, powerful abuser who groomed and manipulated, surrounded by rich, powerful men, enabled by a system designed to keep those men rich and powerful. — Rachael Denhollander, Vox, "I faced Larry Nassar in court. Epstein’s accusers should have had the same chance.," 14 Aug. 2019 During those encounters, Ailes also manipulated Luhn mentally. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "Laurie Luhn & Roger Ailes' Relationship Was As Complicated In Real Life As It Is In The Loudest Voice," 15 July 2019 In the video, created by Israeli advertising agency Canny AI, Mr. Zuckerberg’s mouth and voice are manipulated to show the CEO briefly discussing Facebook’s power in a negative tone. ... — Sebastian Herrera, WSJ, "Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Finds Self on Receiving End of Fake Video," 12 June 2019 Joy Bush’s manipulated black-and-white photo shows an eyelid between two upraised hands, evoking a sense of joy, the artist’s name. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "When is a selfie art? When it shows the soul, like these portraits at City Gallery," 11 June 2019 IoT devices have been conscripted into massive botnets, compromised for nation state reconnaissance, hacked to mine cryptocurrency, and manipulated in assaults on power grids. — Wired, "It's Time for IoT Security's Next Big Step," 11 Sep. 2019 What’s your best pro tip for achieving and maintaining healthy hair when your hair is constantly being styled and manipulated? — Shalwah Evans, Essence, "Hairstylist Tokyo Stylez Gives The Scoop On Cardi B's Sleek Lob For The MTV VMAs," 27 Aug. 2019

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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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