manipulate

[ muh-nip-yuh-leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ma·nip·u·lat·ed, ma·nip·u·lat·ing.

1. to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner:

   to manipulate people's feelings.

2. to handle, manage, or use, especially with skill, in some process of treatment or performance:

   to manipulate a large tractor.

3. to adapt or change (accounts, figures, etc.) to suit one's purpose or advantage.

   Synonyms: falsify, juggle

4. Medicine/Medical. to examine or treat by skillful use of the hands, as in palpation, reduction of dislocations, or changing the position of a fetus.

manipulate

/ məˌnɪpjʊləˈbɪlɪtɪ; məˈnɪpjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. tr to handle or use, esp with some skill, in a process or action

   to manipulate a pair of scissors

2. to negotiate, control, or influence (something or someone) cleverly, skilfully, or deviously
3. to falsify (a bill, accounts, etc) for one's own advantage
4. (in physiotherapy) to examine or treat manually, as in loosening a joint

Derived Forms

• maˈnipulatively, adverb
• maˈnipulatory, adjective
• manipulability, noun
• maˈnipuˌlator, noun
• maˌnipuˈlation, noun
• maˈnipulative, adjective
• maˈnipuˌlatable, adjective

Other Words From

• ma·nipu·lata·ble adjective
• ma·nip·u·la·to·ry [m, uh, -, nip, -y, uh, -l, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
• nonma·nipu·lative adjective
• nonma·nipu·la·tory adjective
• outma·nipu·late verb (used with object) outmanipulated outmanipulating
• unma·nipu·lata·ble adjective
• unma·nipu·lated adjective
• unma·nipu·lative adjective
• unma·nipu·la·tory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of manipulate¹

First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from manipulation

Word History and Origins

Origin of manipulate¹

C19: back formation from manipulation, from Latin manipulus handful

Example Sentences

"This was a very technically demanding project that required us to develop new strategies for recording and manipulating the activity of multiple neuromodulators simultaneously in awake, behaving animals," Cardozo Pinto shared.

From Science Daily

That power to manipulate field position has been especially valuable this season in the Big Ten, where offense has been harder to come by.

From Los Angeles Times

“It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

From BBC

The category covers cases where the intended victim is befriended online and emotionally manipulated into sending money to someone they believe they are in a relationship with.

From BBC

These experiments showed that they could make use of the snoRNA machinery to manipulate the secretion of a given protein, which could be useful for developing therapeutics.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• exploit
• handle
• influence
• maneuver
• shape