manage

American  

[man-ij] / ˈmæn ɪdʒ /

verb (used with object)

• manages,
  present (3rd person singular)
• managed,
  past participle,  past
• managing
  present participle

1. 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?

   Synonyms:

   contrive, arrange

2. to take charge or care of.

   to manage my investments.

3. to dominate or influence (a person) by tact, flattery, or artifice.

   He manages the child with exemplary skill.

4. to handle, direct, govern, or control in action or use.

   She managed the boat efficiently.

   Synonyms:

   engineer, regulate, conduct, guide

5. to wield (a weapon, tool, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   manipulate, handle

6. to handle or train (a horse) in the exercises of the manège.

7. Archaic. to use sparingly or with judgment, as health or money; husband.

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verb (used without object)

• manages,
  present (3rd person singular)
• managed,
  past participle,  past
• managing
  present participle

1. to conduct business, commercial affairs, etc.; be in charge.

   Who will manage while the boss is away?

2. 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.

manage British  

/ ˈmænɪdʒ /

verb

1. (also intr) to be in charge (of); administer

   to manage one's affairs

   to manage a shop

2. to succeed in being able (to do something) despite obstacles; contrive

   did you manage to go to sleep?

3. to have room, time, etc, for

   can you manage dinner tomorrow?

4. to exercise control or domination over, often in a tactful or guileful manner

5. (intr) to contrive to carry on despite difficulties, esp financial ones

   he managed quite well on very little money

6. to wield or handle (a weapon)

7. rare to be frugal in the use of

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noun

1. an archaic word for manège

Synonym Usage

See rule.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overmanage
  verb (used with object)
• undermanage
  verb (used with object)
• quasi-managed
  adjective
• self-managing
  adjective
• undermanaged
  adjective
• unmanaged
  adjective
• well-managed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• managing
  present
• managed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• manage
  simple
• manages
  simple
• have managed
  perfect
• has managed
  perfect
• am managing
  progressive
• are managing
  progressive
• is managing
  progressive
• have been managing
  perfect progressive
• has been managing
  perfect progressive

Past

• managed
  simple
• had managed
  perfect
• was managing
  progressive
• were managing
  progressive
• had been managing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will manage
  simple
• will have managed
  perfect
• will be managing
  progressive
• will have been managing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manage manages managed managing

"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

Iranian negotiators have held talks with Oman in recent weeks over a provisional arrangement to manage shipping through the strait.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Wasim, who learned more about it through asking doctors questions and social media, said she now educates her mum, who also has PMOS, on ways to manage symptoms.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 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

I manage to find Ray’s basketball and head over there.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

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

Co-author Associate Professor Maarten Immink says the findings point to a wider change in the way the body manages movement as people grow older.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

A Zhejiang, China-based company that manages the boat for its owner, according to data provider LSEG, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 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

Even Ms. Rucker manages to say something nice.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

A young monkey has managed to get out of a wildlife park that was at the centre of a similar monkey escape two years ago.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

He managed at five different plants in Mexico for about two years each earlier in his career.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Even in his penultimate Test in charge, when it was becoming clear the job was taking its toll on Root the person, he still managed to score 153 against West Indies in Barbados.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

“How is it managed from this point forward?” she said of the pact.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Peter managed to grab hold of one of his hands and hang on.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

“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

The rumor was that she’d have to be held back a year if she didn’t get her grades up, but so far she was managing to stay in our class.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• administer
• conduct
• dominate
• govern
• guide
• handle
• maintain
• operate
• oversee
• regulate
• run
• supervise
• take care of
• take over
• train
• use