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
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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
With the technology becoming increasingly adept at creating convincing crowd scenes, manipulating visuals has never been easier.
—
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
Julie asked Jimmy Heagerty about where things stood with Mickey Lee, and Jimmy said Morgan did a great job manipulating Mickey into sending him home.
—David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2025
With its flexible solvers, Newton allows developers to simulate complex, real-world tasks ranging from walking on snow and gravel to manipulating fragile objects like cups and fruit.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
Lack of free and fair elections, with leaders manipulating the system to remain in power.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
Giuliani continued to falsely accuse the voting machine company of rigging the 2020 White House race through manipulating votes, Dominion alleged in the lawsuit.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 27 Sep. 2025
With Danny held hostage, Maria’s life begins to flourish and that star pupil, Pauline, inches ever-closer to her favorite docent as sympathies slip away and oscillate between characters, the film making quick work of manipulating mounting emotions.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
The video appears to show Lauren manipulating and firing the gun, but it’s recorded from a distance and has no sound.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Morrow spends a good chunk of the season manipulating Slightly, played by Adarsh Gourav.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
Julie asked Jimmy Heagerty about where things stood with Mickey Lee, and Jimmy said Morgan did a great job manipulating Mickey into sending him home.
—David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2025
With its flexible solvers, Newton allows developers to simulate complex, real-world tasks ranging from walking on snow and gravel to manipulating fragile objects like cups and fruit.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
Lack of free and fair elections, with leaders manipulating the system to remain in power.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
Giuliani continued to falsely accuse the voting machine company of rigging the 2020 White House race through manipulating votes, Dominion alleged in the lawsuit.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 27 Sep. 2025
With Danny held hostage, Maria’s life begins to flourish and that star pupil, Pauline, inches ever-closer to her favorite docent as sympathies slip away and oscillate between characters, the film making quick work of manipulating mounting emotions.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
The video appears to show Lauren manipulating and firing the gun, but it’s recorded from a distance and has no sound.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Morrow spends a good chunk of the season manipulating Slightly, played by Adarsh Gourav.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulating
Verb
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Republicans, who control the chamber by a narrow margin, insist Democrats are exploiting the deadline to force unrelated concessions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
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The company’s release notes doesn’t mention any hackers exploiting the flaw.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy mutually agreed with the Texas Rangers to step away from managing the ball club.—
Hunter Mulholland,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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If the thought of budgeting gives you a headache, there's another way to approach managing your money without tracking every expense or obsessing over spreadsheets.—
Andreina Rodriguez,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ukraine is also negotiating to sell its drone technology to the US and has offered other European countries assistance in dealing with incursions by drones.—
Victoria Butenko,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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Christina Jolley, the senior vice president at Blanca Commercial Real Estate, said her team is negotiating with companies from a variety of industries, including tech, law, healthcare and marketing.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two culinary pros gave us the real scoop about how certain vanilla bean ice creams have been deceiving us all these years.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
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Opening arguments are set to begin Tuesday's in the FTC's lawsuit against Amazon for allegedly deceiving tens of millions of customers into signing up for Prime and thwarting their attempts to cancel it.—
Matthew J. Belvedere,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Don Lisi, Rogers Police Department spokesman, said police investigate cases involving virtual currency scams on a regular basis, and the department is currently handling a couple of such cases.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
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Louisville police's Traffic Unit is handling the ongoing investigation.—
Matthew Glowicki,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Elite Asian Matchmaker is a white-glove service that handles all the logistics, from vetting potential matches to arranging dates, allowing clients to simply show up and enjoy the experience.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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The tour company optimized the schedule to match workers' paid time off, by arranging departure days scheduled around holidays or weekends, which minimizes the days a traveler would need to take from work.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The first quarter moon in Capricorn advises taking charge and addressing shared resources.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
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Around mid-Saturday morning, when the broadcast suggested to viewers that the Americans might be gaining momentum, the camera next focused on Jon Rahm standing with his feet in a bunker, addressing a sidehill lie at knee-height.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In February, four Hamas members suspected of plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe went on trial in Berlin in what prosecutors described as the first court case against militants of the Palestinian group in Germany.—
Pilar Arias,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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In December 2023, German and Dutch law enforcement arrested four people accused of plotting to attack Jewish institutions in Europe.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manipulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulating. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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