manipulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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manipulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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manipulated,
past participle, past
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manipulating
present participle
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to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner.
to manipulate people's feelings.
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to handle, manage, or use, especially with skill, in some process of treatment or performance.
to manipulate a large tractor.
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to adapt or change (accounts, figures, etc.) to suit one's purpose or advantage.
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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.
verb
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(tr) to handle or use, esp with some skill, in a process or action
to manipulate a pair of scissors
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to negotiate, control, or influence (something or someone) cleverly, skilfully, or deviously
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to falsify (a bill, accounts, etc) for one's own advantage
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(in physiotherapy) to examine or treat manually, as in loosening a joint
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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manipulabilitynoun
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manipulationnoun
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manipulatornoun
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outmanipulateverb (used with object)
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manipulatableadjective
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manipulativeadjective
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manipulatoryadjective
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nonmanipulativeadjective
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nonmanipulatoryadjective
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unmanipulatableadjective
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unmanipulatedadjective
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unmanipulativeadjective
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unmanipulatoryadjective
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manipulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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manipulatesimple
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manipulatessimple
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have manipulatedperfect
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has manipulatedperfect
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am manipulatingprogressive
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are manipulatingprogressive
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is manipulatingprogressive
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have been manipulatingperfect progressive
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has been manipulatingperfect progressive
Past
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manipulatedsimple
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had manipulatedperfect
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was manipulatingprogressive
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were manipulatingprogressive
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had been manipulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manipulate
First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from manipulation
Explanation
To manipulate something means to handle it skillfully, like the way a sculptor manipulates clay or a really good politician works a crowd. The verb manipulate evolved from manipulation, which back in the 1700s referred to a method of digging ore. So manipulating something originally only meant moving or arranging it by hand or mechanically. It wasn't until 1864 that people started using the word manipulate to describe someone exerting mental or emotional influence on others.
Vocabulary lists containing manipulate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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The Westing Game
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But on the edge of town, engineers peer through giant magnifying glasses while robotic arms manipulate sheets of copper to develop components used in some of the world's most advanced AI systems.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
If these photoinduced polar states can be reliably created and controlled, they could provide new ways to manipulate electronic properties using light.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
You’re taking other people’s work or information and you’re finding a way to manipulate it, make it more metabolizable for the American public.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
The accounts have managed to manipulate the algorithms on major social media sites by sharing emotive and hopeful content to gain more traction.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
If genes were, indeed, independent particles of information, then it should be possible to select, purify, and manipulate these particles independently from one another.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
A well-read person grows body armor against the rigid conspiracy theorist, against flat artificial intelligence that manipulates without emotion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
He manipulates the physical form of the ingredient to showcase different temperatures and textures: souffle, cream, biscuit, foam, and air.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Spoofing manipulates that system, causing the affected ship to send a fake, or even nonsensical, location -- meaning that ships could appear to be on land in Iran or the Emirates.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
Konan, Mark explains how the 5–4 decision manipulates commonly understood definitions of “miscarriage” and “loss” in order to afford immunity to the U.S.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2026
“You don’t have to be afraid of him. Some people act like witchery is responsible for everything that happens, when actually witchery only manipulates a small portion.”
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
During interviews conducted after the experiment, most participants said they had not realized that their posture was being manipulated.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Former congressman George Santos will pay more than $35,000 to settle a regulator’s claim that he manipulated wagers on prediction market Kalshi over whether he would attend the State of the Union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Of particular concern for the EU are deepfakes -- text, images, videos and sounds that appear to be real but are generated or manipulated by AI.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Experts have told BBC News it is important to understand that people can be manipulated into consent.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
I thought about how I tried to help her—enabled, I guess— how I kept her on life support, how she clung to me, how she lied and even manipulated her only son.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Sandoval’s ex, Dillon Maquindang, stood at a podium Thursday morning and decried the defendant for cheating on them, manipulating them and taking out his failures on Maquindang’s family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
It also prevents sides from manipulating the cap.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
By manipulating each tank's temperature and pH levels, scientists can simulate future heatwaves and induce coral bleaching to see how fish and other organisms adapt.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The NFL prohibits renegotiating contracts after the regular season ends, a rule meant to limit teams from manipulating future cap charges once they know their final record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
By manipulating the two pegs and the tension on the wire between them, he could obviously hear a response to his own message.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
