1
as in to abuse
to abuse physically
charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bully
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you see anyone manhandling a child, you should call the authorities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 manhandle
Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Lee had been caught on video back in 2017 shouting at a woman who was reportedly his girlfriend, manhandling her and calling her names, in a confrontation allegedly broken up by a teammate.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Still, Garcia, 27, was able to manhandle Barrios most of the night to claim Barrios’ WBC welterweight belt, his first title.
—John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Feb. 2026
Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manhandle
Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Lee had been caught on video back in 2017 shouting at a woman who was reportedly his girlfriend, manhandling her and calling her names, in a confrontation allegedly broken up by a teammate.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Still, Garcia, 27, was able to manhandle Barrios most of the night to claim Barrios’ WBC welterweight belt, his first title.
—John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Feb. 2026
Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manhandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandle
Verb
-
The Federal Trade Commission, 18 states and Puerto Rico have accused the company of abusing its market position to inflate prices on other online retail platforms, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The foster parents and their adult daughter pleaded guilty to abusing children in their care.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On an afternoon Brandt Clarke, Adrian Kempe and Drew Doughty took turns trying to bully the Avalanche, Colorado reached around and gave the Kings a Wedgie.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
-
People just want to bully and get the likes and say the rage bait comment.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Most occur as the closing credits roll, whether pretending to be viciously mauled by a bear or, even more unnervingly, clearly superimposing his face onto the body of a performing cellist.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Bain would immediately give the Dolphins an elite, powerful edge defender who mauls blockers in front of him and fits the 4-3 base defense coach Jeff Hafley wants to play as a traditional defensive end.—
Kenny Rosarion,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Last year, a Dane County judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms after former employees testified that dogs were being mistreated, including having eye surgeries performed on them without general anesthesia.—
Quinn Clark,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, tax collector Tina Koren is facing criminal charges for allegedly using her role to harass and mistreat her neighbors, officials said Wednesday.—
Terra Sullivan,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
According to police, further investigation led to authorities finding several occasions when Kovarcik and Rahman were observed mishandling other children under their care.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Societies often mishandle preventable harm in recognizably similar ways.—
Barry R. Davis,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
-
However, human rights groups say migrants are being brutalized and pushed back illegally at EU borders, while legal protections are increasingly being hollowed out.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clayton Peavey, 31, used a concrete brick to attack a Chick-fil-A employee in March, leaving her with several gashes on her head and requiring stitches.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Mendoza is accurate to all three levels of the field and has developed a great understanding of when and where to attack down the field.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The shootings took place at multiple locations early Sunday morning, leaving eight children dead, two adult women wounded -- the mothers of his children -- and another woman and child injured.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Police said that the child who was attacked was injured and was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital for treatment.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manhandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
