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
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Recent Examples of manipulate
Local jurisdictions, including the Folsom Police Department, have identified e-bike use as a growing issue in the community, especially given the ways users can manipulate the vehicles to travel at speeds far exceeding normal capacity.
—
Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026
There’s a rich commonality between him and Venus that could be explored here—who’s manipulating Rika more?
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Authors, professors, nonprofits and more over the last 55 years have continually manipulated the relevance of 20 springs first identified along the Ocklawaha by a graduate student in 1971.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
The new proposal will now undergo a 60-day comment period and has already faced pushback from the largest federal workers’ union, which has argued that the performance review system has been manipulated to cap how many employees receive high rankings.
—Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manipulate
Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026
There’s a rich commonality between him and Venus that could be explored here—who’s manipulating Rika more?
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Authors, professors, nonprofits and more over the last 55 years have continually manipulated the relevance of 20 springs first identified along the Ocklawaha by a graduate student in 1971.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
The new proposal will now undergo a 60-day comment period and has already faced pushback from the largest federal workers’ union, which has argued that the performance review system has been manipulated to cap how many employees receive high rankings.
—Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manipulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulate
Verb
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Russian hackers have previously been accused of exploiting the feature through phishing messages as well.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
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Moore’s film shows someone who thrives with on-time throws and running his routes to get where he’s supposed to be to exploit the defense.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Panthers are managing a slew of injuries and are managing the workloads of several players down the stretch.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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The former is focused on advancing noninvasive approaches to treating diabetes and managing metabolic health.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But general-education courses play a pivotal role in a department’s ability to recruit potential majors, pull in tuition revenue and negotiate hiring additional faculty.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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Leagues and players’ associations negotiate workplace rules, and those agreements are exempt from antitrust scrutiny.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Defamation, which refers to a false statement of fact that is reputationally damaging, and false light, which is a technically true statement but is presented in a highly deceiving fashion, are other possible legal actions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Looks, too, can be deceiving for those not on the grounds.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With a high, stable energy supply, the ship could support a larger number of these power-hungry containers, giving operators greater flexibility to handle cargo demand.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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His body could handle the demands.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The partnership formed only after Wimbledon, arranged through Tien’s agent, despite the two having lived in the same Southern California tennis orbit for years without ever meeting.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brick villas arranged in clusters have rooms in browns and creams; most come with balconies facing the Red Sea.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pincé said Macron had addressed this by saying allies would handle all the non-nuclear aspects of the new system.—
Charlotte Reed,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
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Multiple candidates among the leading contenders represent diverse backgrounds and experiences capable of addressing California’s major challenges.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Burkle twice was involved in attempts to purchase the Kings, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, one of which was engineered in large part by Anderson.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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The researchers used a lunar simulant from Exolith Labs, engineered to precisely mimic the chemical and physical properties of the soil samples returned by the Apollo missions.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulate. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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