manhandle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
manhandles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
manhandled,
past participle, past
-
manhandling
present participle
-
to handle roughly.
-
to move by human strength, without the use of mechanical appliances.
verb
-
to handle or push (someone) about roughly
-
to move or do by manpower rather than by machinery
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
manhandlesimple
-
manhandlessimple
-
have manhandledperfect
-
has manhandledperfect
-
am manhandlingprogressive
-
are manhandlingprogressive
-
is manhandlingprogressive
-
have been manhandlingperfect progressive
-
has been manhandlingperfect progressive
Past
-
manhandledsimple
-
had manhandledperfect
-
was manhandlingprogressive
-
were manhandlingprogressive
-
had been manhandlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manhandle
Explanation
When you manhandle something, you pick it up, push it, or pull it roughly. You might gasp watching movers manhandle your fragile furniture as they load it into a moving van. You can manhandle things, and you can also manhandle people, shoving or grabbing them. If security workers at the airport manhandle a little old lady, nearby passengers will probably speak up in her defense. This current meaning arose in the late nineteenth century — earlier, manhandle meant "attack an enemy," and before that, "wield a tool."
Vocabulary lists containing manhandle
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:
Defenders manhandle Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith on every down to stop him from reaching the ball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
He’s 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, only.a sophomore and likes to manhandle ballcarriers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Huskies needed their wide receivers to manhandle Michigan’s defensive backs, and running back Dillon Johnson to deliver despite an array of injuries.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
Are they why he explodes out of his stance to manhandle defenders in the run game?
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2023
“They’ll manhandle the rock off that loader, Doc, and then they’ll tie on a cable, try to use a motor to pull it out.”
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
At 6 feet 9 and 330 pounds, he manhandles players from other schools.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2016
Eifman manhandles Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and “I Got Rhythm.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2015
Toibin never manhandles life and would in fact prefer not to leave any fingerprints on its lapels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2014
In its turn, Oxford manhandles him considerably, de-bagging* him, staging mock parades in his honor to the tune of Ovah Theah.
From Time Magazine Archive
Suddenly they were confronted by security guards and New Orleans police and manhandled out of the hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
On Friday, Syed Wajid Ali Shah Gillani, president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, alleged in a video statement that police manhandled the couple before arresting them.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
According to the New York Times, Trump liked Lewandowski for his “feisty instincts and off-color humor” but he ended up reluctantly firing him after he’d manhandled a reporter.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2025
They found themselves in the rare position of meeting a genuine chess celebrity, while also being manhandled by him on the board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025
She'd eaten this woman's food and manhandled her son—she was in no position to argue.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
“We’ll be here till tomorrow dealing with this blaze,” said Major Issa Hamdoun, a civil defense commander, as he watched his men manhandling the fire hose into the wreckage of the building.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
"I just saw something that sickened my stomach," Schumer said, "the manhandling of a United States Senator."
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025
Virginia had the week’s biggest jump within the poll, followed by No. 4 Texas’ seven-spot climb after manhandling Gonzaga.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
Almighty skating and sleight-of-hand playmaking can, in an instant, give way to manhandling opposing players.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2022
Now the builder was hauling the rocks up hundreds of feet and manhandling each rock into place.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
