as in to control
chiefly US
to try to oversee all the small parts of (something, such as an activity) in a way that is usually not wanted or that causes problems
He micromanaged every detail of the budget.
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Recent Examples of micromanage
What once was an obstacle to allowing others to help, has come under new management, finally allowing the rest of the family to jump in on the action without fear of being micromanaged.
—
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
These restrictions aren’t arbitrary numbers pulled out of a hat just to infuriate the fan base or micromanage a crisis.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
That didn’t appear to be the case in this instance; this was personal animosity—a secretary who was micromanaging personnel decisions in the Army, looking to put his own stamp on that service.
—Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Chill bosses don't micromanage.
—Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for micromanage
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
These restrictions aren’t arbitrary numbers pulled out of a hat just to infuriate the fan base or micromanage a crisis.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
That didn’t appear to be the case in this instance; this was personal animosity—a secretary who was micromanaging personnel decisions in the Army, looking to put his own stamp on that service.
—Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Chill bosses don't micromanage.
—Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for micromanage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for micromanage
Verb
-
Snakes help control rodent and insect populations, reducing the spread of diseases like Lyme disease.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
And to build a community that will control you as a Prime Minister, as a [leader] of the Party.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
That alone sets it apart from earlier delivery drones that could only handle lighter orders.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Think cordless leaf blowers that make quick work of debris, robot mowers that handle the lawn, and so much more.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Defense attorneys argued at trial that the investigation into the assassination was a mess and that the four were manipulated into taking blame for an internal coup.—
David Fischer,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
Still, the video is raising broader concerns about how AI could be used to manipulate voters, particularly as increasingly realistic deepfake technology becomes more widespread.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
And the agency didn’t track whether or not a caller’s problem was addressed.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
State Farm spokesman Sevag Sarkissian said the department’s brief only addressed a legal argument seeking dismissal of the lawsuit.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Despite attempts to negotiate the Strait of Hormuz’s reopening during an ongoing ceasefire, the narrow waterway remains shut to virtually all ship traffic.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Olthof Homes successfully challenged a $100,000 penalty levied by the town in the Indiana Court of Appeals, so a lower fine was negotiated between the two parties.—
Amy Lavalley,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Staff are on hand 24 hours a day to supervise crafts and games, water sports, reef fishing, cookery classes, crab hunts, and marine biologist excursions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Also, the researchers sometimes caught the Claudes trying to cheat by simply instructing the strong model directly rather than figuring out ways to get the weak teacher to supervise the strong model.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a sane world, Congress would put a stop to it and reassert its own power to regulate import duties; unfortunately, this particular GOP Congress seems content enough to be a lapdog watching Trump usurp them and damage the economy and our international standing.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
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The legislature has also put in place more requirements for towns to have fair rent commissions, which are local bodies that have the ability to respond to complaints and regulate rents.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
When occupancy is lower, the evening happy hour takes place in the lobby lounge, but does not skimp on the buffet spread of hot and cold items, enough for dinner for many people.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Trump took credit for an April 16th agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which Iran demanded as a condition for broader talks with the United States.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Micromanage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/micromanage. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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