manipulate

verb

mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
Definition of manipulatenext
1
as in to exploit
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means the con man would slyly manipulate the emotions of his marks in order to win their sympathy and trust

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to manage
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently spin doctors manipulating the data to make it seem more favorable to their preferred candidates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to negotiate
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care manipulated the schedule of presidential primaries so that the choice of the party elders would win the nomination

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 manipulate PeopleSoft instead put a graphical user interface on a relational database and gave people managers the ability to directly manipulate the data. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 The prime minister announced that his government would take immediate action to combat Iranian infiltration of criminal networks and reduce their ability to manipulate actors in the United Kingdom. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026 An operator could manipulate equipment through the robotic system without being physically present at the job site. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026 That allowed Morton to physically manipulate the transformation herself. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for manipulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulate
  1. exploit
  2. manage
  3. negotiate
  4. deceive
  5. handle
  6. arrange
  7. address
  8. engineer
Verb
  • Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The company has documented instances in which experimental agents took unauthorized actions during testing, including exploiting vulnerabilities and accessing external systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of exploit
Verb
  • The main idea of the company is to automate parts of these missions so personnel can concentrate on operational decisions rather than manually managing every aspect of a drone’s flight or sensor operation.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Graham’s poetry—as readers of The New York Review will know—somehow manages to reckon with the whole spectrum of human existence in the 2020s.
    — Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • And third, the FCC can negotiate a consent decree with the broadcaster to redress any violations and resolve an enforcement matter.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • No consensus on what counts as a weapon International efforts to negotiate a new framework banning all weapons in space have stalled because there is no agreement on what counts as a space weapon, among other things, according to Samson.
    — Stephanie Liechtenstein, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of negotiate
Verb
  • Some veterans say recruiters deceived them and Haitian authorities tortured them; their families call them scapegoats.
    — Astrid Suárez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the Colombians have long maintained that they were deceived about the mission and arrived at the home after Moïse had already been killed.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • Tippett’s team animated physical puppets, while ILM handled compositing and digital fire, smoke and explosions.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Needless to say, the system has to be robust enough to handle battlefield conditions, including electronic warfare and communications blackouts.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of handle
Verb
  • The hotel can arrange special things like a in-room Peloton bike or facilitate extra amenities to host a meeting in your suite.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Annals are historical records arranged by year; the clue leverages the entry’s singular form to misdirect us.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrange
Verb
  • But that concern has been addressed here thanks to the aforementioned brake upgrades, which deliver confident stopping power at speed as well as excellent pedal feel.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Word of her ouster leaked before the executive had the chance to address most of her internal teams — an announcement dovetailed with news of her incoming replacement, the venerated film and TV executive Peter Rice.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of address
Verb
  • In hindsight, the Chicks—the Dixie Chicks until the band changed its name in 2020—were practically engineered to stand in opposition to the country establishment.
    — Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Florida accuses the company of knowingly engineering its platforms to be addictive to teens, and misleading consumers about its safety.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of engineer

Browse Nearby Words

man in the street
manipulate
manipulated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulate. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All