MANIPULATES Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

manipulates

verb

present tense third-person singular of manipulate

as in exploits

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

as in manages

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

as in negotiates

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

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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 manipulates Flashbacks are deployed as more than mere framing devices, since the past plays an active, exciting role in the town’s present, and there’s an extended drug trip that skillfully manipulates lapsed time through recurring blackouts to keep you on the edge of your seat. —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026 But there is a point where the prediction shapes and manipulates the actual outcome. —

Editorial, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026 Reinhart’s Apple is a deliciously deadly mystery wrapped in sequins and pure unadulterated attitude, as Tung’s Pumpkin subtly manipulates the group to get to the bottom of a past incident that weighs on her personally, despite her new friends being oblivious to her true identity. —

Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026 The film is being released as newsrooms shrink, the mainstream media consolidates and social media manipulates the meaning of truth. —

Brent Lang, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026 In his score, Wagner manipulates space and scale, suggesting intimate chambers and vast expanses of the North Atlantic with innumerable shadings of orchestration. —

Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026 Just like Rodgers did a decade earlier, Prescott manipulates the flat defender (circled in red) and hits CeeDee Lamb in stride just behind the linebacker. —

Mike Defabo, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 Throughout the process, the robot simultaneously navigates, avoids obstacles, and manipulates objects without human guidance. —

Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026 Memory safety issues occur when software accesses or manipulates memory in an unintended way. —

IEEE Spectrum, 28 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulates

Verb

To overcome this, researchers at ETH Zurich used a subtler effect called the geometric phase, which exploits the path taken by atoms through an artificial ‘crystal of light’ built from intersecting laser beams.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 12 May 2026
Bruce, an airline worker, has hitherto handed off his plus-one flight privileges to Simon, who keenly exploits them to keep filming his globe-trotting doc.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 May 2026