1
as in abusing
to abuse physically
charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullying
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
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Recent Examples of manhandling
Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.
—
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
That’s exactly how the Miami Dolphins performed in Sunday’s 30-13 win against the Buffalo Bills in a contest Miami controlled all game, manhandling the reigning AFC East division champions to prove that the 2025 season isn’t over.
—Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
But even with Mizzou being able to do what it’s been doing — manhandling the trenches and milking the clock — the results were somewhat spoiled.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025
San Francisco tackle Williams is 6-foot-5 and 320, and has been manhandling NFL linemen since Hufanga was a boy running around his parents’ farm in Oregon.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
That’s exactly how the Miami Dolphins performed in Sunday’s 30-13 win against the Buffalo Bills in a contest Miami controlled all game, manhandling the reigning AFC East division champions to prove that the 2025 season isn’t over.
—Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
But even with Mizzou being able to do what it’s been doing — manhandling the trenches and milking the clock — the results were somewhat spoiled.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025
San Francisco tackle Williams is 6-foot-5 and 320, and has been manhandling NFL linemen since Hufanga was a boy running around his parents’ farm in Oregon.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandling
Verb
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Harding said the Democrats are abusing the process.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
24 Feb. 2026
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The Court’s 2024 criminal-immunity decision might seem to run counter to Roberts’s project—all the more so because of how brazenly Trump is currently abusing the power of his office.—
Sarah Isgur,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Weinstein and his lawyers argued that the retrial verdict was tainted by infighting and bullying among jurors.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
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In refusing to bow to an administration that has been intent on bullying private companies into submission, Amodei and his team are taking a bold stand on ethical grounds, and risking a censure that could erode Anthropic’s long-term viability.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The remark, which spread quickly across news and social media, implied that Israel pushed the US into attacking.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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On Thursday, Azerbaijan accused Iran of attacking it with drones — though Tehran denied that.—
Jon Gambrell,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Draughan was arraigned Thursday on two counts of second-degree killing/torturing animals, one count of felony firearms, one count of cruelty to an animal resulting in the animal's death, and one count of abandoning animals.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Ida, meanwhile, is a crime society floozy in 1930s Great Depression Chicago, an escort to a coterie of goombahs who take to mentally torturing her over dinner and drinks in a speakeasy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Or left tackle Theo Benedet pulling into the open field in Cincinnati, sprinting well beyond the line of scrimmage, starting his block on Geno Stone 4 yards from the sideline, then mauling the Bengals safety within inches of a bench.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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City enters Week 2 of the new campaign as Premier League leader after mauling its way to a 4-0 win over Wolves on opening weekend.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This isn’t the first time a third-party vendor has come under scrutiny for mishandling sensitive user information for Discord, which is popular among gamers, students, influencers, tech professionals, and other communities.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Anutin has been prime minister only since last September, after serving in the Cabinet of his immediate predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced out of office for an ethics violation regarding mishandling relations with Cambodia.—
GRANT PECK,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The man accused of ambushing West Virginia National Guard members near the White House in November, killing one and severely wounding another, is set to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.—
Steve Beynon,
ABC News,
4 Feb. 2026
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The man accused of ambushing two West Virginia National Guard members in a shooting in the nation's capital, killing one and wounding another, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Gonzales was struggling to hold his 23rd District even before the scandal, barely beating 2nd Amendment activist and content creator Brandon Herrera in 2024; Herrera is running again, along with Quico Canseco, a one-term congressman who’s made multiple comeback attempts.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Lakers’ 41-year-old star buried three 3-pointers in the second half, the first one beating the third-quarter buzzer for a 96-76 lead.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manhandling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandling. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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