MANHANDLE Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

manhandle

verb

ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl

Definition of manhandle

as in to abuse

to abuse physically charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Valley View won its first game but was manhandled by Searcy last week. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026 The Los Angeles Police Department released a video that shows officers at the Valley jail manhandle an uncooperative inmate who died after he was left handcuffed with a bag over his head while laying prone on the bunk in his cell. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 New England lost in demoralizing fashion to the Seahawks last February, 29-13, as the Seattle defense manhandled the Patriots’ offense. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 Ashley Delaney of Polk City, who has served on the district's board since 2024, was charged in May with misdemeanor assault for allegedly manhandling the student. — William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for manhandle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandle

Verb

Meanwhile, local Church leaders hope the pope's visit will repair the Church's standing after a crushing 2021 report found that some 330,000 French children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades.

— Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
An example of warrantless seizure could be a case in which an officer sees a dog being abused and takes the animal.

— Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

Grande had been the subject of a wave of speculation, concern and bullying regarding her physical appearance following images of the actress-singer going viral in late July.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
But Gresko, who alleges that some of her older children had also experienced bullying at the school, says the school never contacted her.

— Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of bully

Verb

When his grandfather was mauled by a leopard caught in a trap set for an impala, however, Mgesi began to feel that the dangers of hunting wildlife outweighed its benefits for humans.

— Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
The native dogs are known to have killed baby Azaria Chamberlain, who was taken in the outback in 1980, and mauled Canadian tourist Piper James, who died on K’Gari off the coast of Queensland earlier this year.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of maul

Verb

Ultimately, the show attempts to draw a parallel between Lizzie Borden and Aileen Wuornos, portraying them as two women abused and mistreated by society who dared to fight back.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Even more consequentially, some jihadi groups turned Muslim publics against them by mistreating Muslim civilians.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of mistreat

Verb

Ryan Vilade and Diaz walked and as the Yankees mishandled a throw in attempting a double play on Liam Hicks’ grounder, Vilade made a heads-up dash for home.

— Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026
In May, Xi emphasized to Trump the consequences of mishandling Taiwan.

— Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of mishandle

Verb

Allegations of abuse, inmates being brutalized by jailers, and dire conditions have plagued the facility for years, leading some county leaders, former sheriffs and civil rights advocates to call for the jail to be closed.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Because they’ve been brutalized by the same machinery of repression.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of brutalize

Verb

An official of Congo's ruling party UDPS, Marie-Célestin Karondwa, was attacked by unknown suspects Sunday for defending the government's measures against Ebola on a radio program and was in critical condition, according to the UDPS.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Additionally, the agents were apparently not instructed to attack or compromise the UN website.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Since the Iran war began, there has been increasing confusion over the number of troops who have been injured and killed, unlike in many other overseas conflicts when data is reported routinely.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Some horses come in severely injured, which is no longer necessarily a death sentence.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of injure

Browse Nearby Words

mangy

manhandle

manhandled

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Style

“Manhandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandle. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of manhandle

verb

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