as in controlling
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 micromanaging
The document itself is an odd grab-bag of micromanaging grant processes, assertion of presidential power, and airing of cultural grievances.
—
ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
That might look like remembering the name of a tenant’s dog, checking in on how a vendor’s week is going or finding ways to motivate your staff without micromanaging them.
—Alex Vasquez, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Hollywood became Hollywood long before Sacramento began micromanaging economic development.
—Will Swaim, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
And while Meta’s future looks more uncertain than ever, Zuckerberg has turned his attention towards building a photorealistic AI clone of himself to make his micromanaging presence omnipresent throughout the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 May 2026
Fahim, a financial analyst, was reportedly frustrated by the amount of work Cuomo would assign him, and had claimed Cuomo was micromanaging him.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 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
Instead of micromanaging every finger, humans provide high-level input while the AI handles coordination.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
That might look like remembering the name of a tenant’s dog, checking in on how a vendor’s week is going or finding ways to motivate your staff without micromanaging them.
—Alex Vasquez, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Hollywood became Hollywood long before Sacramento began micromanaging economic development.
—Will Swaim, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
And while Meta’s future looks more uncertain than ever, Zuckerberg has turned his attention towards building a photorealistic AI clone of himself to make his micromanaging presence omnipresent throughout the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 May 2026
Fahim, a financial analyst, was reportedly frustrated by the amount of work Cuomo would assign him, and had claimed Cuomo was micromanaging him.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 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
Instead of micromanaging every finger, humans provide high-level input while the AI handles coordination.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for micromanaging
Verb
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However, there's a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Key Takeaways Drinking orange juice regularly may help improve heart health by controlling blood pressure and reducing inflammation.—
Mira Miller,
Verywell Health,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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And whatever happens, BBC Studios will remain in the saddle, handling distribution, licensing, consumer products, digital, and immersive experiences.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
-
Instead, the National Park Service, which was handling the funds for the Interior Department, signed a memorandum of agreement with America250 in December to transfer $50 million to the group by February 1.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
New opportunities in recycling and other circular solutions are expanding the toolkit for addressing critical minerals supply challenges.—
Jared Cohen,
Time,
15 June 2026
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The event is Canada’s largest TV gathering, with today’s keynotes including CRTC’s Vicky Eatrides addressing plans to reform the country’s television tax break system and Netflix’s Jinny Howe delivering a keynote.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Like Muir, Lustmord’s Brian Williams creates harrowing, light-devouring music by digitally manipulating a vast library of sounds he’s collected via sampling and field recording.—
Brad Sanders,
Pitchfork,
8 June 2026
-
Similar to braiding weak fibers together to make a strong rope, Microsoft’s approach seeks to create topological quantum bits, or qubits, by manipulating multiple Majorana quasiparticles on one device.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Reeling from the loss of UCLA and USC, the conference spent months negotiating a new TV deal that would include a commitment from its remaining members to stick together.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
11 Dec. 2025
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Its findings suggest the ELN is no longer simply a Colombian rebel movement interested in negotiating an end to their ongoing armed struggle, but a transnational actor with powerful incentives to preserve the status quo.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The administrative officer completes budget journals to move funding from the correct city department to the correct fleet project account, in addition to supervising multiple staff members of the Fleet Administrative Team.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
9 Dec. 2025
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For See It Now Studios, Susan Zirinsky and Terence Wrong are executive producers, and Aysu Saliba and Cara Tortora are supervising producers.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Apparently, the only thing stopping him from scoring a fourth is Argentina's taking him off the pitch.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
17 June 2026
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On Monday, 60 Tao people from Taiwan’s Orchid Island set off on a 111-mile voyage, taking turns to paddle against strong currents to reach the Ivatan people on Batan Island, located in the far north of the Philippines, replicating a journey first thought to have been made more than 4,000 years ago.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The Spurs jumped out to a 29-point lead in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden before turning into a shell of themselves, somehow managing to give up the massive lead and hand the Knicks the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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The people most committed to managing their time well are often the most frustrated by the results.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Micromanaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/micromanaging. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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