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
Hogan and his men secretly functioned as an espionage and sabotage operation, successfully manipulating the inept Germans over the course of 168 episodes.
—
David Faris, TheWeek, 18 Feb. 2026
Trump fired former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in August, implying that the agency was manipulating labor market data under her leadership.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Fabiana Chiu, David Rinaldi’s wife, who is an arts administrator and visual photographer, said her late father-in-law influenced her, too, giving her tips on manipulating the view to improve the contrast and lighten up the photograph.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
This is just one in a series of rituals designed to liven up the tedium of wealth, just another game in service of manipulating others while pushing back against an all-encompassing numbness.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
The tech mogul, who helped found OpenAI, sued Altman and the company in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the firm’s founding values and manipulating him into investing in the ChatGPT maker.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
Nobody of his generation is more crafty in manipulating the tiniest slivers of space.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
In other cases, extremists have been convicted of manipulating children into cutting themselves or even killing pets on camera, records show.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
His belief that a conspiratorial coterie of people is manipulating American policy.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
David Faris, TheWeek, 18 Feb. 2026
Trump fired former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in August, implying that the agency was manipulating labor market data under her leadership.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Fabiana Chiu, David Rinaldi’s wife, who is an arts administrator and visual photographer, said her late father-in-law influenced her, too, giving her tips on manipulating the view to improve the contrast and lighten up the photograph.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
This is just one in a series of rituals designed to liven up the tedium of wealth, just another game in service of manipulating others while pushing back against an all-encompassing numbness.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
The tech mogul, who helped found OpenAI, sued Altman and the company in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the firm’s founding values and manipulating him into investing in the ChatGPT maker.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
Nobody of his generation is more crafty in manipulating the tiniest slivers of space.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
In other cases, extremists have been convicted of manipulating children into cutting themselves or even killing pets on camera, records show.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
His belief that a conspiratorial coterie of people is manipulating American policy.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulating
Verb
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The assault in the restroom seems to fit into a pattern of men exploiting or hurting Sweetpea.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In October, authorities filed a superseding indictment against 21-year-old Baron Cain Martin of Arizona, accusing him of membership in 764 and other groups and exploiting children – including a 13-year-old girl who carved swastikas into her body at his direction.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
City staff is evaluating options for managing the orchard, including working with existing staff.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
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With a dual perspective, this novel follows Maya managing her grief and facing the past while mothers in China are forced to give up their own daughters.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Senator says that's 'bottom line' Still, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Republicans have been negotiating in good faith.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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The rest of the negotiating team soon arrived, still fresh from their trip to Abu Dhabi.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Neglecting The Kitchen Sink Your sink may look spick-and-span, but looks can be deceiving.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
-
But a superficial comparison between Delta, United, and American across certain headline metrics can be deceiving.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Restaurant workers handling dead roaches and not noticing enough rodent poop to fill a human toilet lowlight this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of South Florida restaurants failing inspection.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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Businesses handling sensitive data demand stable and predictable outputs.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Emails show Epstein’s associates arranging meetings between him and Black from 2010 to 2017.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Recent articles in the news report Canada, Mexico, Central and South America arranging trading with countries who don't treat them as stepchildren.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Guthrie family's 'hour of desperation' The Guthrie family has posted several videos on social media over the past two weeks, addressing both Savannah Guthrie's followers and a person who may have abducted Nancy Guthrie.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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Midway through her second edition at the helm of the Berlinale, the combative festival director wastes no time addressing the political storm that flared on opening day and quickly threatened to eclipse the films themselves.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unsurprisingly the two are already plotting more projects together.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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The 54-year-old entertainer made such an impression on viewers during his on-air stint at the 2024 Summer Olympics that NBC execs had already begun plotting to bring him back for the Milan Games well before the torch was extinguished in Paris.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manipulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulating. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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