manipulate

verb

ma·​nip·​u·​late mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
manipulated; manipulating
Synonyms of manipulatenext

transitive verb

1
: to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner
manipulate a pencil
manipulate a machine
2
a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
quantify our data and manipulate it statistically— S. L. Payne
b
: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage
being used and manipulated by the knowing men around him— New Republic
3
: to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose : doctor
suspected that the police reports were manipulated— Evelyn G. Cruickshanks
manipulatable
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tə-bəl How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
adjective
manipulation
mə-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
noun
manipulator
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tər How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
noun
manipulatory
mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
adjective

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of manipulate in a Sentence

The baby is learning to manipulate blocks. The mechanical arms are manipulated by a computer. The doctor manipulated my back. The program was designed to organize and manipulate large amounts of data.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But they had been manipulated by homeowners and businesses, and used to block all kinds of new construction. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025 Editing concerns truly manipulating an image, making changes to particular areas, and adding content like text, shapes, or other images on top of the original. — PCMAG, 2 Mar. 2025 The team’s offseason this year amplified that criticism into outright fury, provoking allegations that the Dodgers manipulated MLB’s salary system to build a superteam. — Russell Leung, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2025 The results were encouraging, showing that the hand allowed users to perform complex movements and manipulate objects with greater precision and naturalness compared to other prosthetic hands. — Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for manipulate

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from manipulation, from French, from manipuler to handle an apparatus in chemistry, ultimately from Latin manipulus

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of manipulate was in 1834

Rhymes for manipulate

See All Rhymes for manipulate

Browse Nearby Words

manipulate
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Cite this Entry

“Manipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manipulate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

manipulate

verb
ma·​nip·​u·​late mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
manipulated; manipulating
1
: to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially with skill
manipulate the trackball
2
: to manage or use skillfully
manipulate masses of statistics
3
: to manage especially with intent to deceive
manipulate accounts
manipulate public opinion
manipulation
-ˌnip-yə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
noun
manipulator
-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt-ər How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
noun

Medical Definition

manipulate

transitive verb
ma·​nip·​u·​late mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
manipulated; manipulating
1
: to treat or operate with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner
manipulate the fragments of a broken bone into correct position
2
a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
b
: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage
manipulative
-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt-iv How to pronounce manipulate (audio) -lət- How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
adjective
manipulativeness noun

Legal Definition

manipulate

transitive verb
ma·​nip·​u·​late mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
manipulated; manipulating
: to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose
specifically : to affect (the price of securities) artificially in order to deceive or mislead investors
manipulable
mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-bəl How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
adjective
manipulation
mə-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
noun
manipulative
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv, -lə-tiv How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
adjective
manipulatively adverb
manipulativeness noun
manipulator
mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tər How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
noun
manipulatory
mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce manipulate (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on manipulate

Nglish: Translation of manipulate for Spanish Speakers

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