1
as in abused
to abuse physically
charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullied
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you see anyone manhandling a child, you should call the authorities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of manhandled
During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.
—
James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The $100 million price tag attached to the legal action is to make sure the city takes Brown’s allegations seriously — and ensure no one else is manhandled by the police without cause, Brown’s attorney Derek Sells of the Cochran Firm said.
—Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Did something get squashed en route, then manhandled by Kennedy?
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
Boston also struggled with its perimeter shooting (eight made 3-pointers on a season-low-tying 28 attempts) but manhandled the Raptors inside, setting a new franchise record for points in the paint (76) in the play-by-play era.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Making the scene even more a spectacle was the fact that Yam Yam was literally being manhandled and dragged out of the castle while doing so.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The $100 million price tag attached to the legal action is to make sure the city takes Brown’s allegations seriously — and ensure no one else is manhandled by the police without cause, Brown’s attorney Derek Sells of the Cochran Firm said.
—Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Did something get squashed en route, then manhandled by Kennedy?
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
Boston also struggled with its perimeter shooting (eight made 3-pointers on a season-low-tying 28 attempts) but manhandled the Raptors inside, setting a new franchise record for points in the paint (76) in the play-by-play era.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Making the scene even more a spectacle was the fact that Yam Yam was literally being manhandled and dragged out of the castle while doing so.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandled
Verb
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Over the ensuing years, the estate worked aggressively to manage and grow the estate’s assets, in tandem with fighting off a growing number of allegations from men who said that the singer had abused them as children.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
27 May 2026
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Organizers are now working with local police and monitoring cameras to make sure the system is not being abused.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Pratt alleged that volunteers have been bullied, harassed, and have been trying to get Bass’s attention.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
-
Because in the middle of all of this was a little girl who had been bullied by a group of men, and her mother wanted an apology.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Carney said antisemites in Canada have fired bullets at Jewish schools and thrown firebombs at synagogues and attacked community centers.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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Thousands of mail carriers across the United States were attacked by dogs in 2025, with Los Angeles topping the list for most attacks, according to a new report from the United States Postal Service.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
You’d get tortured or killed for just expressing yourself.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
-
Tursun, 36, told us that her newborn son — one of triplets — had been killed by the Chinese Communist Party and that she was tortured in internment camps.—
Michael Arkush,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
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As Mox mauled Kyle, fans did react when Moxley bit O’Reilly in the face.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
The attack was Australia's first shark fatality since January, when a 12-year-old boy died in a hospital days after he was mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Tovar ambushed Kilian’s first offering, pulling a two-run homer over the left-field fence to hand the Giants their fourth straight loss.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
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Puckett allegedly ambushed two deputies during a welfare check Friday night, killing a military veteran and injuring a second officer.—
Alexandra Koch , Lorraine Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Canadian researchers found that older adults who were maltreated as children may face a significantly higher risk of cancer decades later.—
Rob Williams,
EverydayHealth.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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The Adams County Health and Human Services Department’s initial assessment indicated that the infant was maltreated, though a final autopsy report is still pending, TMZ reported.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The company's board was told that Albert Manifold was verbally abusive and bullying toward employees, and had mishandled company information, according to the WSJ.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
-
Third baseman Luis Rengifo mishandled a ground ball to let Teoscar Hernández reach base in the seventh inning.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manhandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandled. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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