manifest
Americanverb (used with object)
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manifests,
present (3rd person singular)
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manifested,
past participle, past
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manifesting
present participle
-
to make clear or evident; show plainly.
He manifested his approval with a hearty laugh.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
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to prove; put beyond doubt or question.
The evidence manifests the guilt of the defendant.
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to attempt to attain (something desired) by thinking or focusing intensely on it, especially as a spiritual or self-help practice.
I'm manifesting a new job this year.
We cut out toxic people and manifested new friends more on our wavelength.
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to record in the manifest of a ship, airplane, train, etc.
verb (used without object)
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manifests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
manifested,
past participle, past
-
manifesting
present participle
-
to appear or become apparent.
The change we've been agitating for is finally manifesting in public policy.
Damage to the house's foundation can manifest slowly over time.
-
to be created; take form.
The course allows designers to visualize how their designs could manifest.
His book claims we are beings of light that have manifested in physical bodies.
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Medicine/Medical.
-
(of a disease or injury) to become evident through the appearance of particular symptoms.
This type of infection typically manifests with rashes, swelling, and pain.
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(of a patient) to have a certain symptom or medical condition.
People who experience work-related stress often manifest with chronic digestive disorders.
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to attempt to attain something desired by thinking about or focusing intensely on it, especially as a spiritual or self-help practice.
The guru was trying to teach us how to manifest by using meditation and deep concentration.
adjective
-
readily perceived; evident; obvious; apparent; plain.
The data you've shown us contains a manifest error.
- Synonyms:
- conspicuous, visible, palpable, open, patent, unmistakable, distinct, clear
- Antonyms:
- obscure
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Psychoanalysis. of or relating to conscious feelings, ideas, and impulses that contain repressed psychic material.
the manifest content of a dream as opposed to the latent content that it conceals.
noun
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manifests
plural
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a list of the cargo or goods carried by a ship, airplane, train, etc., made for the use of various agents and officials at the points of destination.
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a list of the passengers carried on a ship, airplane, train, etc.
adjective
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easily noticed or perceived; obvious; plain
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psychoanal of or relating to the ostensible elements of a dream Compare latent
manifest content
verb
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(tr) to show plainly; reveal or display
to manifest great emotion
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(tr) to prove beyond doubt
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(intr) (of a disembodied spirit) to appear in visible form
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(tr) to list in a ship's manifest
noun
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a customs document containing particulars of a ship, its cargo, and its destination
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a list of cargo, passengers, etc, on an aeroplane
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a list of railway trucks or their cargo
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a fast freight train carrying perishables
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Usage
What does manifest mean? Manifest describes something that is readily understood, obvious, or apparent upon viewing, as in Saying the sky is full of flying pigs is manifest nonsense. To manifest something is to prove beyond all doubt, as in Climate change is manifesting itself through the increase of superstorms. To manifest also means to display or show plainly, as in Clara’s embarrassment manifested itself on her face as a blush. A manifest is a list of cargo carried by a plane, ship, truck, or train. To manifest the cargo is to list it on a manifest. Example: He managed to manifest a smile despite being so uncomfortable.
Synonym Usage
See display.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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manifesternoun
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manifestnessnoun
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nonmanifestnessnoun
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premanifestverb
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remanifestverb (used with object)
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supermanifestverb (used with object)
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manifestableadjective
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nonmanifestadjective
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self-manifestadjective
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unmanifestadjective
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manifestlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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manifestsimple
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manifestssimple
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have manifestedperfect
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has manifestedperfect
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am manifestingprogressive
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are manifestingprogressive
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is manifestingprogressive
-
have been manifestingperfect progressive
-
has been manifestingperfect progressive
Past
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manifestedsimple
-
had manifestedperfect
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was manifestingprogressive
-
were manifestingprogressive
-
had been manifestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manifest
First recorded in 1350–1400; (adjective) Middle English manifest(e), from Latin manifestus, manufestus “detected in the act, evident, visible”; (verb) Middle English manifesten, from Middle French manifester, from Latin manifestāre, derivative of manifestus. See manus
Explanation
Choose the verb manifest when someone shows something for everyone to notice. You might manifest your dislike of school food by stirring it around into a big pile of slop on your tray. Coming from the Latin manifestus, "caught in the act," manifest can be used as an adjective or a noun as well as a verb. As an adjective, manifest is a formal way to say that something is apparent to the senses and is synonymous with evident, apparent, or clear. If you have strong feelings about something, they will be manifest on your face. A ship or plane's manifest is the list of cargo or passengers on a particular trip.
Vocabulary lists containing manifest
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Fahrenheit 451
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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:
Alongside Turkish girl group Hepsi, manifest cite the Spice Girls among their musical inspirations.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The necessity of maintaining fuel efficiency standards is manifest in California, where about 40% of those emissions come from auto and truck tailpipes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
And Shannon and Narducy et. al. manifest all of this onstage.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
FlyDubai sent the manifest for Flight 1073, said Israel’s Tax Authority, which maintains the country’s database of flier information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
When the moth made contact, he expected her to manifest in his mind, but she didn’t.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
With the way his disorder manifests, Erika’s family can’t do something as simple as go to the movies.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
OpenAI said in a blog post on Wednesday that it would “aim to disclose examples that provide useful evidence about how model misalignment arises, how it manifests, and where safeguards succeed or fail.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
But the petroleum products are masked in manifests — labeled waste material, lubricants, residues and other items not subject to the high taxes that Mexico levies on imported fuel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
“It can take a long time to track down a source, in part because cyclosporiasis manifests itself so differently in people.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ama’s Adinkra symbol manifests into that same magnetic force that had brought Lala back to the ship.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The images resemble holograms, though they are solid to the touch; they seem to be projections that the boy has manifested to ease his loneliness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
That freedom manifested into her debut mixtape “Cut 4 Me,” featuring fan favorites like “Send Me Out” and “Bank Head.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The pressure Sabalenka was feeling manifested in some aggressive second serves, and it was unsurprising to see one go long for a double fault on the decisive break point in the opening set.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
It first manifested as a column in a youth publication before the host eventually took it to YouTube in 2014.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
His wife’s face, sodden with the six-hour self-accusatory depression which she had prophesied, manifested itself on the vidscreen.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Martin Luther King Jr described America as manifesting a "schizophrenic personality" long before the nationwide disillusionment with the Dream began.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The idea of manifesting oneself through one’s work was part of the West Coast feminist movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
We looked up, taking in Ross in all his Afro-permed glory, manifesting a leafy forest out of what had been a mountain’s dense shadow.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
The energy shock is manifesting in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
“Did you seriously have to call them the minute I left the room? Tell me, was it like a physical impulse? Goody-goody syndrome manifesting itself?”
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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