manage

Synonym Chooser

How is the word manage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of manage are conduct, control, and direct. While all these words mean "to use one's powers to lead, guide, or dominate," manage implies direct handling and manipulating or maneuvering toward a desired result.

manages a meat market

Where would conduct be a reasonable alternative to manage?

The words conduct and manage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conduct implies taking responsibility for the acts and achievements of a group.

conducted negotiations

When is control a more appropriate choice than manage?

In some situations, the words control and manage are roughly equivalent. However, control implies a regulating or restraining in order to keep within bounds or on a course.

controlling his appetite

When can direct be used instead of manage?

The meanings of direct and manage largely overlap; however, direct implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.

directs the store's day-to-day business

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of manage And trust in global leadership is fracturing, just as the need for solutions to protect nature, manage migration, stabilize conflict zones, and navigate technology disruption grows more urgent than ever before. Sergio Alonso Fernández De Córdova Y De Veyga, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025 This means the planning of mixed-use projects can be managed under one umbrella. Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025 Reese has a very good way of managing those situations. Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025 This is a terrific signature scent that manages to make a statement without polarizing the room. Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for manage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manage
Verb
  • The utility also has detention basins at its Peak Flow Attenuation Facility, located off Scott Hamilton Drive, that are meant to allow the system to handle significant rain events.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Thankfully, our providers handled our pregnancy with so much care and grace knowing our history.
    Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Susan Zirinsky and Terence Wrong serve as executive producers for See It Now, with Aysu Saliba and Cara Tortora supervising producers.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Phil Hanna was to supervise the hanging, and Arthur Hash was to pull the trigger that would cause the fall.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The virtual event is intended to give participants emotional support, new coping skills and encouragement.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Trad wives cope with this by seeking to marry men who will provide for them.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The ethical dimension of creating and manipulating living brain cells remains under discussion.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Don't Look Now manipulates audiences' minds, mixing elements of the occult with the overwhelming need for hope into a plot twist audiences will find difficult to swallow.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The municipal panel that oversees the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority endorsed the five-year rate plan in June.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Under that law, citizenship applicants had to be able to speak English but the courts still oversaw the determination of applicants’ civic knowledge.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Five times in these league championship series, the home fans have shown up and done their thing.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • But some residents in Altadena whose homes were destroyed feel the utility company should have done more to protect them.
    Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ticketmaster is trying to address the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission with several moves intended to block scalpers from abusing the platform.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The first round recommendations were drawn up by the Statewide K-12 Graduation Council, assembled by the governor to address the issue in the wake of last year’s election.
    Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Wall Street analysts estimate the fire to cost Ford between $500 million to $1 billion in operating income.
    Michael Wayland, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Emirates confirmed to Reuters that its plane was leased from and operated by ACT Airlines, a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Manage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manage. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on manage

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