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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of micromanage
Their words painted a portrait of someone who micromanaged, monopolized the spotlight and rarely recognized individual contributions.
—
Bill Koch, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Kids desperately want to be able to explore and play without adults micromanaging them, Skenazy says.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The incessant crackdowns, and the campaigns of censorship or censoriousness, suggest that the Chinese regime is intent on not just eliminating opposition, but also micromanaging its people’s lifestyles, consumption, and beliefs.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
That doesn’t mean burning out or micromanaging every detail.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for micromanage
Bill Koch, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Kids desperately want to be able to explore and play without adults micromanaging them, Skenazy says.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The incessant crackdowns, and the campaigns of censorship or censoriousness, suggest that the Chinese regime is intent on not just eliminating opposition, but also micromanaging its people’s lifestyles, consumption, and beliefs.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
That doesn’t mean burning out or micromanaging every detail.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for micromanage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for micromanage
Verb
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Their innovation, called retina E-paper, uses nanoparticles to control how light scatters, achieving lifelike color reproduction that can be tuned electrically.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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Earlier this year, a New York judge held that Nicklaus controls licensing of his NIL, including for golf course designs, but that Nicklaus Companies owns the trademarks.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The utility also has detention basins at its Peak Flow Attenuation Facility, located off Scott Hamilton Drive, that are meant to allow the system to handle significant rain events.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
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Thankfully, our providers handled our pregnancy with so much care and grace knowing our history.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ethical dimension of creating and manipulating living brain cells remains under discussion.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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Ticketmaster is trying to address the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission with several moves intended to block scalpers from abusing the platform.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
21 Oct. 2025
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The first round recommendations were drawn up by the Statewide K-12 Graduation Council, assembled by the governor to address the issue in the wake of last year’s election.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tatiana’s settlement with Carlos Pino and his family — negotiated through mediation led by Miami attorney Bruce Greer — followed another important step for her.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Loan spells for Alan Montes and Santiago Muñoz have concluded and Sporting KC will continue to negotiate with Schewe and Muñoz.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Susan Zirinsky and Terence Wrong serve as executive producers for See It Now, with Aysu Saliba and Cara Tortora supervising producers.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
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Phil Hanna was to supervise the hanging, and Arthur Hash was to pull the trigger that would cause the fall.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Minimal protections for football’s youngest players Experts argue that youth football is the least regulated of all.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
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The chimney, a symbol of the site’s industrial heritage, now functions as an intake for external air captured at 60 meters, which is then circulated through the bioclimatic greenhouse on the south facade, which Ruffini highlighted, and that helps to regulate internal temperatures.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The father charged in suspicion of murder in his toddler's 2024 hot car death has taken a plea deal with Pima County prosecutors that includes a higher sentencing than in a previous plea offer.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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Pennywise — the iconic, malevolent shapeshifting entity that often takes the form of a dancing clown and was first introduced in Stephen King's 1986 novel It — suddenly and mysteriously appeared on five different continents on Tuesday.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Micromanage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/micromanage. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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