manage
Americanverb (used with object)
-
manages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
managed,
past participle, past
-
managing
present participle
-
to bring about or succeed in accomplishing, sometimes despite difficulty or hardship.
She managed to see the governor. How does she manage it on such a small income?
-
to take charge or care of.
to manage my investments.
-
to dominate or influence (a person) by tact, flattery, or artifice.
He manages the child with exemplary skill.
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to handle, direct, govern, or control in action or use.
She managed the boat efficiently.
-
to wield (a weapon, tool, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- manipulate, handle
-
to handle or train (a horse) in the exercises of the manège.
-
Archaic. to use sparingly or with judgment, as health or money; husband.
verb (used without object)
-
manages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
managed,
past participle, past
-
managing
present participle
-
to conduct business, commercial affairs, etc.; be in charge.
Who will manage while the boss is away?
-
to continue to function, progress, or succeed, usually despite hardship or difficulty; get along.
How will he manage with his wife gone? It was a rough time, but we managed.
verb
-
(also intr) to be in charge (of); administer
to manage one's affairs
to manage a shop
-
to succeed in being able (to do something) despite obstacles; contrive
did you manage to go to sleep?
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to have room, time, etc, for
can you manage dinner tomorrow?
-
to exercise control or domination over, often in a tactful or guileful manner
-
(intr) to contrive to carry on despite difficulties, esp financial ones
he managed quite well on very little money
-
to wield or handle (a weapon)
-
rare to be frugal in the use of
noun
Synonym Usage
See rule.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overmanageverb (used with object)
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undermanageverb (used with object)
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quasi-managedadjective
-
self-managingadjective
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undermanagedadjective
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unmanagedadjective
-
well-managedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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managesimple
-
managessimple
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have managedperfect
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has managedperfect
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am managingprogressive
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are managingprogressive
-
is managingprogressive
-
have been managingperfect progressive
-
has been managingperfect progressive
Past
-
managedsimple
-
had managedperfect
-
was managingprogressive
-
were managingprogressive
-
had been managingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manage
First recorded in 1555–65; earlier manege, from Italian maneggiare “to handle, train (horses),” derivative of mano, from Latin manus “hand”
Explanation
To manage is to skillfully handle something. If you can barely manage to keep your goldfish alive, you should probably think twice about adopting those Golden Retriever puppies. The verb manage also means to supervise or oversee either things or people at work. You might manage six people at the donut shop, even though you've only worked there for four months. If you carefully manage your donut shop earnings, you should be able to buy that new car next year. Manage also means to cope with or come to terms with. It might seem scary to go to college in another state, but I know you'll manage.
Vocabulary lists containing manage
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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"Thank You, M'am"
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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:
"You eat until you're satisfied, and you simply end up with fewer calories. That's a sustainable way to manage weight."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Last time around, Walmart said people were putting less gas in their tanks as they tried to manage higher costs of living.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Skates said he still recognised the anxiety that affected him as a child and young adult, but has learned to manage it through treatment and talking therapies.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Tehran signalled last week that it had agreed with Oman a route for ships to transit the strait and were finalising arrangements to jointly manage the waterway.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“You think someone who can invade France can’t manage a school?”
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
The firm manages about $130 billion, with investments in companies including Anthropic and Vuori.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Faisal Umar manages a 24-hour convenience store on the street, which sits in the heart of the dispersal zone.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"Right now there are about 15 tractors queuing to fill up," Jean-Pierre Robert, who manages a lakeside hotel, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
She manages to sleep through the morning racket—until Grandma Knife's big toe prods her, making her yelp.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
The share of actively managed U.S. large-cap equity funds that beat their benchmark passive-fund alternatives in the 12 months ended June 30, according to Morningstar data that compares returns after fees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“How is it managed from this point forward?” she said of the pact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The 33-year-old entered Saturday 324 points off the pace in 16th and managed just 5.77m in the long jump before throwing 36.92m in the javelin.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
September was rocky in 2021 and 2022, but during the past few years, the index has managed to finish the month higher, despite some hiccups here and there.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Gabi’s managed to trace her family back five generations and to seven different countries!
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“The assets provide a nice physical hedge for anybody who is trading natural gas in the LNG and power markets,” said Frost Cochran, Post Oak’s managing director and founding partner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Medical professionals need to know how people are using the jabs and managing any side effects and "men are generally less likely to seek medical advice, or leave it longer".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The interview offered an unusually personal look at an official better known for managing an increasingly complicated portfolio of international crises and national security issues.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
This bearish view on markets comes from the founder and managing director of CrossBorder Capital, Mike Howell, who was interviewed on the Macro Voices podcast Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
He traveled extensively, grabbed naps in airports, and, usually managing to find a computer, stayed in touch with old friends while making new ones.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
