1
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
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2
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
3
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
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Recent Examples of manipulates
Don't Look Now manipulates audiences' minds, mixing elements of the occult with the overwhelming need for hope into a plot twist audiences will find difficult to swallow.
—
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Instead of relying on pigments or coatings, LightRipple manipulates reflection and refraction at the microscopic level, producing a dynamic play of gold and shadow that shifts subtly as the case moves.
—New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2025
Complicating matters is the insidious Host character (voiced by Len Cunningham’s father, Liam Cunningham), who manipulates the players’ reality.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
All of this is possible because hackers use a tactic called SEO poisoning, which manipulates Google's search results so their fake websites appear near the top.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The algorithm manipulates users, but primarily with the goal of keeping them on the platform and seeing more advertisements.
—David Karpf, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
The patch was created by combining nanophotonics technology, which manipulates light at the nanometer scale (one-hundred-thousandth the thickness of a human hair) to read molecular properties, with microfluidics technology, which precisely controls sweat in channels thinner than a hair.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
After all, if an attacker hijacks the agent’s credentials or manipulates its input data, the agent could take harmful actions faster and more persistently than any human user.
—Michael Decesare, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Instead of relying on pigments or coatings, LightRipple manipulates reflection and refraction at the microscopic level, producing a dynamic play of gold and shadow that shifts subtly as the case moves.
—New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2025
Complicating matters is the insidious Host character (voiced by Len Cunningham’s father, Liam Cunningham), who manipulates the players’ reality.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
All of this is possible because hackers use a tactic called SEO poisoning, which manipulates Google's search results so their fake websites appear near the top.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The algorithm manipulates users, but primarily with the goal of keeping them on the platform and seeing more advertisements.
—David Karpf, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
The patch was created by combining nanophotonics technology, which manipulates light at the nanometer scale (one-hundred-thousandth the thickness of a human hair) to read molecular properties, with microfluidics technology, which precisely controls sweat in channels thinner than a hair.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
After all, if an attacker hijacks the agent’s credentials or manipulates its input data, the agent could take harmful actions faster and more persistently than any human user.
—Michael Decesare, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulates
Verb
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The film follows Caiden (Smith), a hapless fitness enthusiast who moves to Los Angeles dreaming of becoming a trainer, only to be diverted by Randy (Krumholtz), an opportunistic Hollywood Boulevard grifter who exploits his likeness to the world’s most famous superhero.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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Malware often exploits vulnerabilities in outdated systems, so regularly updating your operating system, antivirus and productivity tools adds another layer of protection against future attacks.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Arkansas Department of Human Services oversees SNAP, and the Arkansas Department of Health manages WIC.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The teenager manages to skip around Carreras’ challenge, but the defensive pressure means Yamal runs straight into Orkun Kokcu’s tackle.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Rather than dictating rates to providers, Unity negotiates reimbursements tied to Medicare benchmarks.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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Faulí now runs a team of eleven architects, and also negotiates the politics of a project that has numerous stakeholders.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Schweitzman and Sutherland will jointly oversee the division, which handles packaging, financing, production and sales for independent film, television and digital projects at the agency.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
-
TrustNordisk handles international sales.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Financial compatibility is a necessity, but a partner who arranges things and therefore shows effort is vital.—
Essence,
Essence,
8 Oct. 2025
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An employee arranges a salad dressing display at an Amazon Fresh grocery store on December 12, 2024 in Federal Way, Washington.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The approach also addresses RO’s brine disposal challenge while producing powers.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Through a blend of high-power performance, intelligent design, and terrain-adaptive engineering, the brand addresses core user frustrations while elevating the overall riding experience.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As such, Adam starts to turn Jamie Tanner (David Duchovny) and Nat (Carice Van Houten) against each other and secretly plots to bring down the entire family.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
23 Oct. 2025
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Boxing’s heavyweight division could be set for another shift as Oleksandr Usyk plots his return to the ring in 2026.—
Antonio Losada,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manipulates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulates. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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