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Who popularized the term "Manifest Destiny"?

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manifest

American  

[man-uh-fest] / ˈmæn əˌfɛst /

verb (used with object)

• manifests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manifested,
  past participle,  past
• manifesting
  present participle

1. 

   to make clear or evident; show plainly.

   He manifested his approval with a hearty laugh.

   Synonyms:

   express, declare, demonstrate, evidence, evince, disclose, reveal

   Antonyms:

   conceal

2. to prove; put beyond doubt or question.

   The evidence manifests the guilt of the defendant.

3. to attempt to attain (something desired) by thinking or focusing intensely on it, especially as a spiritual or self-help practice.

   I'm manifesting a new job this year.

   We cut out toxic people and manifested new friends more on our wavelength.

4. to record in the manifest of a ship, airplane, train, etc.

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verb (used without object)

• manifests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manifested,
  past participle,  past
• manifesting
  present participle

1. to appear or become apparent.

   The change we've been agitating for is finally manifesting in public policy.

   Damage to the house's foundation can manifest slowly over time.

2. to be created; take form.

   The course allows designers to visualize how their designs could manifest.

   His book claims we are beings of light that have manifested in physical bodies.

3. Medicine/Medical.

   1. (of a disease or injury) to become evident through the appearance of particular symptoms.

      This type of infection typically manifests with rashes, swelling, and pain.

   2. (of a patient) to have a certain symptom or medical condition.

      People who experience work-related stress often manifest with chronic digestive disorders.

4. to attempt to attain something desired by thinking about or focusing intensely on it, especially as a spiritual or self-help practice.

   The guru was trying to teach us how to manifest by using meditation and deep concentration.

adjective

1. readily perceived; evident; obvious; apparent; plain.

   The data you've shown us contains a manifest error.

   Synonyms:

   conspicuous, visible, palpable, open, patent, unmistakable, distinct, clear

   Antonyms:

   obscure

2. Psychoanalysis. of or relating to conscious feelings, ideas, and impulses that contain repressed psychic material.

   the manifest content of a dream as opposed to the latent content that it conceals.

noun

• manifests
  plural

1. a list of the cargo or goods carried by a ship, airplane, train, etc., made for the use of various agents and officials at the points of destination.

2. a list of the passengers carried on a ship, airplane, train, etc.

manifest British  

/ ˈmænɪˌfɛst /

adjective

1. easily noticed or perceived; obvious; plain

2. psychoanal of or relating to the ostensible elements of a dream Compare latent

   manifest content

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verb

1. (tr) to show plainly; reveal or display

   to manifest great emotion

2. (tr) to prove beyond doubt

3. (intr) (of a disembodied spirit) to appear in visible form

4. (tr) to list in a ship's manifest

noun

1. a customs document containing particulars of a ship, its cargo, and its destination

2. 1. a list of cargo, passengers, etc, on an aeroplane

   2. a list of railway trucks or their cargo

   3. a fast freight train carrying perishables

Usage

What does manifest mean? Manifest describes something that is readily understood, obvious, or apparent upon viewing, as in Saying the sky is full of flying pigs is manifest nonsense. To manifest something is to prove beyond all doubt, as in Climate change is manifesting itself through the increase of superstorms. To manifest also means to display or show plainly, as in Clara’s embarrassment manifested itself on her face as a blush. A manifest is a list of cargo carried by a plane, ship, truck, or train. To manifest the cargo is to list it on a manifest. Example: He managed to manifest a smile despite being so uncomfortable.

Synonym Usage

See display.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• manifester
  noun
• manifestness
  noun
• nonmanifestness
  noun
• premanifest
  verb
• remanifest
  verb (used with object)
• supermanifest
  verb (used with object)
• manifestable
  adjective
• nonmanifest
  adjective
• self-manifest
  adjective
• unmanifest
  adjective
• manifestly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• manifests
  plural

Participles

• manifesting
  present
• manifested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• manifest
  simple
• manifests
  simple
• have manifested
  perfect
• has manifested
  perfect
• am manifesting
  progressive
• are manifesting
  progressive
• is manifesting
  progressive
• have been manifesting
  perfect progressive
• has been manifesting
  perfect progressive

Past

• manifested
  simple
• had manifested
  perfect
• was manifesting
  progressive
• were manifesting
  progressive
• had been manifesting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will manifest
  simple
• will have manifested
  perfect
• will be manifesting
  progressive
• will have been manifesting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of manifest

First recorded in 1350–1400; (adjective) Middle English manifest(e), from Latin manifestus, manufestus “detected in the act, evident, visible”; (verb) Middle English manifesten, from Middle French manifester, from Latin manifestāre, derivative of manifestus. See manus

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Explanation

Choose the verb manifest when someone shows something for everyone to notice. You might manifest your dislike of school food by stirring it around into a big pile of slop on your tray. Coming from the Latin manifestus, "caught in the act," manifest can be used as an adjective or a noun as well as a verb. As an adjective, manifest is a formal way to say that something is apparent to the senses and is synonymous with evident, apparent, or clear. If you have strong feelings about something, they will be manifest on your face. A ship or plane's manifest is the list of cargo or passengers on a particular trip.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manifest manifests manifested manifesting

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first-ever streaming series saw a grief-stricken Wanda magically manifest a happy life for herself and Vision as newlyweds and, eventually, new parents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

He posted on X, external thanking Portugal's Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcao Judice and saying the commission's initial decision had clearly violated the law and amounted to a "manifest abuse of power".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

And Shannon and Narducy et. al. manifest all of this onstage.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

If you do not address your feelings and process them, they will manifest themselves in other ways — an unkind remark or a silent fury.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

This is how the effect of that switch—and, eventually, of every switch—becomes manifest.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

He plays with the limits and in the race this manifests itself as flirting with the white lines on the edge of the track.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

“It manifests into rage, into how unfair this was, how I didn’t get a say in what happened. I didn’t get to stop it from happening. I had no choice in the matter,” Jake said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

One of the book’s most powerful points is that technology is not neutral but, like any text, manifests its creators’ decisions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

I suspect that experience gave her a very strong civil libertarian instinct that manifests here as a deep skepticism towards state power to criminalize gun possession.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

CONCLUSION: In speech, mannerisms, and dress, the subject manifests a feminine gender identity and role, despite a contrary chromosomal status.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

The images resemble holograms, though they are solid to the touch; they seem to be projections that the boy has manifested to ease his loneliness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

After a decade of terrifying squares, avoiding religious stalkers and navigating label purgatory, Twin Temple might finally be at the precipice of what they’ve long manifested — rock stardom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The early and rapid adoption of Muse that has manifested in recent days is also igniting fears that AI will disrupt certain industries, including financial services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

That freedom manifested into her debut mixtape “Cut 4 Me,” featuring fan favorites like “Send Me Out” and “Bank Head.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

We together on a huge hall’s speaking platform, and that vast audience before us, miraculously manifested, as far as I was concerned, the incomprehensible power of Allah.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

On others, handwritten spells manifesting joy or health dance across the white surface.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

For the day ahead, semiconductor company Marvell Technology’s earnings, set for release after market close, will be closely watched for insight into how AI exuberance is manifesting itself in company performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

"We're manifesting Sam Fender comes out with Olivia Dean," Joe said.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

We looked up, taking in Ross in all his Afro-permed glory, manifesting a leafy forest out of what had been a mountain’s dense shadow.

From Salon ● May 2, 2026

After breaking down exactly what I had been feeling, it was she who suggested that perhaps what I was experiencing was anxiety manifesting itself as fatigue.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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Related Words

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• illustrate
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