1
as in exploiting
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 managing
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 negotiating
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 manipulating
But even then, our team of artists got in there and just started manipulating things.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
The duo greatly expanded their sample library, ripping random melodies from thrift-store records and manipulating their own field recordings.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026
Trump is manipulating the markets.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News that spoofing or manipulating the tracking system can obscure a vessel's origins, destination and cargo.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Of course, Butcher does a lot of blatant manipulating here, using Ryan’s insecurity about his deadly powers to convince him the world is better without supes altogether.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
Under this system, any attempt to trigger a vulnerability by manipulating memory runs into the Rust wall—it can’t be affected by malicious DNS packets.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
By carefully manipulating the laser configuration, the team brought pairs of atoms close enough for their quantum wavefunctions to overlap in space.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
There was the patriarch, Abbas Khan, prowling through the pages, making real-estate deals, manipulating people.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
The duo greatly expanded their sample library, ripping random melodies from thrift-store records and manipulating their own field recordings.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026
Trump is manipulating the markets.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News that spoofing or manipulating the tracking system can obscure a vessel's origins, destination and cargo.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Of course, Butcher does a lot of blatant manipulating here, using Ryan’s insecurity about his deadly powers to convince him the world is better without supes altogether.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
Under this system, any attempt to trigger a vulnerability by manipulating memory runs into the Rust wall—it can’t be affected by malicious DNS packets.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
By carefully manipulating the laser configuration, the team brought pairs of atoms close enough for their quantum wavefunctions to overlap in space.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
There was the patriarch, Abbas Khan, prowling through the pages, making real-estate deals, manipulating people.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulating
Verb
-
Bridges has happily accepted the schematic change, which consists of him exploiting mismatches, rebounding, and recognizing when to step up versus defer to teammates.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Khalil Hathaleen, head of the village council and a member of the extended family that makes up much of Umm al-Khair’s population, said settlers were exploiting the war to seize land, cut down olive groves and raid nearby villages at night.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Despite Magic guard Desmond Bane, clearly under the weather, struggling from beyond the arc but still managing to contribute 17 points.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Vellimalar, a social worker and managing trustee of the company, works with as many as 500 women farmers in the region, explaining government policies, assisting them with loans, and providing farming assistance.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the push to develop local mineral value chains has taken the tone of negotiating higher equity stakes in mining projects for the government, accompanied by threats of seizures and hostile takeovers.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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That may be easier said than done while negotiating airports and trekking across new terrain.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Chicago Park District has already introduced a new approach to handling some beach lots as the season gets closer.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Despite its affordable £15,000 price tag, the company insists the robot is a tool to empower workers rather than replace them, handling routine tasks so humans can tackle more complex, collaborative challenges.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ballmer steadfastly denies arranging the deal between Aspiration and Leonard, who by all accounts performed no duties for Aspiration.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Just three weeks ago, Vancouver Police reported five incidents involving a man allegedly robbing people after arranging to meet with him, to sell the suspect Pokémon cards.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And nothing in your reply seems to recognize that this is a common, patronizingly ageist way of addressing people.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Europe turned its attention to the Palestinians on Monday as the election defeat of Israel ally Victor Orban in Hungary gives new momentum to efforts addressing Gaza and the occupied West Bank.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The process is designed to keep a president at the helm, so the president doesn’t have to worry about his own appointees plotting against him, Kalt explained.—
Daniel C. Vock,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Orbán also leaves behind a fiscal mess, which the analyst Dalibor Rohac suggests Orbán might be happy to abandon while plotting his comeback.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manipulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulating. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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