manipulate
verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt 
manipulated; manipulating
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
2
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
Evelyn G. Cruickshanks
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Davenport also allegedly manipulated draft scores to grab the best players and sometimes lied to fellow board members, as well as state and regional Little League officials, the complaint says.
—Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
Neuralink plans to evaluate the safety and functionality of its tool allowing people to manipulate external devices with their minds.
—Sarah McBride, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023
The previous method of manual reporting from record stores had been imprecise and easily manipulated, and the shift meant the popularity of genres like rap, country, and alternative rock was finally being reflected.
—Vulture, 18 Sep. 2023
The report clearly shows that the traceability the minister is talking about doesn't exist—and that the system can be manipulated.
—Karen Naundorf, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023
Klobuchar and Hawley, along with fellow co-sponsors Coons and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, said the measure is needed to keep AI from manipulating voters.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 13 Sep. 2023
The report from software firm Solidus Labs focused on wash trading—transactions orchestrated by a single trader or group to generate the appearance of trading activity and, typically, manipulate prices.
—WSJ, 12 Sep. 2023
Elsewhere, two upward-facing cameras project a livestream feed onto the falls, and children can manipulate the colors of the images.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2023
Vines of flowers twine over shoulders and across bodices with a naturalistic grace; pale peach ostrich feathers are manipulated into delicate wisps cinched with small grosgrain bows.
—Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023
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Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
Neuralink plans to evaluate the safety and functionality of its tool allowing people to manipulate external devices with their minds.
—Sarah McBride, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023
The previous method of manual reporting from record stores had been imprecise and easily manipulated, and the shift meant the popularity of genres like rap, country, and alternative rock was finally being reflected.
—Vulture, 18 Sep. 2023
The report clearly shows that the traceability the minister is talking about doesn't exist—and that the system can be manipulated.
—Karen Naundorf, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023
Klobuchar and Hawley, along with fellow co-sponsors Coons and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, said the measure is needed to keep AI from manipulating voters.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 13 Sep. 2023
The report from software firm Solidus Labs focused on wash trading—transactions orchestrated by a single trader or group to generate the appearance of trading activity and, typically, manipulate prices.
—WSJ, 12 Sep. 2023
Elsewhere, two upward-facing cameras project a livestream feed onto the falls, and children can manipulate the colors of the images.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2023
Vines of flowers twine over shoulders and across bodices with a naturalistic grace; pale peach ostrich feathers are manipulated into delicate wisps cinched with small grosgrain bows.
—Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manipulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
back-formation from manipulation, from French, from manipuler to handle an apparatus in chemistry, ultimately from Latin manipulus
First Known Use
1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near manipulate
Cite this Entry
“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manipulate. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
manipulate
verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt
manipulated; manipulating
1
: to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially with skill
manipulate the trackball
2
: to manage or use skillfully
manipulate masses of statistics
3
: to manage especially with intent to deceive
manipulate accounts
manipulate public opinion
Medical Definition
manipulate
transitive verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt
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
2
a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
b
: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage
manipulativeness
noun
Legal Definition
manipulate
transitive verb
ma·nip·u·late
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt
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
adverb
manipulativeness
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on manipulate
Nglish: Translation of manipulate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of manipulate for Arabic Speakers
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