manipulation

American  

[muh-nip-yuh-ley-shuhn] / məˌnɪp yəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of manipulating.

2. the state or fact of being manipulated.

3. skillful or artful management.

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Etymology

Origin of manipulation

First recorded in 1720–30; from French, equivalent to manipule “handful” ( see maniple) + -ation -ation

Explanation

Manipulation is the skillful handling, controlling or using of something or someone. Whether it's the sculpture you made in art class or how you convinced your friend to do your homework — both are considered manipulation. From the Latin word for "handful," manipulation certainly has much to do with using your hands to move or shape something, like a good DJ manipulating two totally different tunes into the perfect mashup. But this word also has some negative connotations — a manipulative person knows how to twist words, play on emotions and otherwise manage a situation in a sneaky fashion to get what he wants.

Example Sentences

Kalshi is planning to require that participants in some prediction markets disclose the identity of their employers, after an advisory committee recommended tighter security measures to combat potential insider trading and market manipulation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Kalshi said the rule will apply to "markets with heightened insider or manipulation risk."

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

“There’s very little evidence of manipulation or of fraud or even of incompetence,” Hasen said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

How do you tell true good news from sophisticated manipulation?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

As his career progressed, his music became more and more about aural effect and emotional manipulation.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall