manhandle

[man-han-dl, man-han-dl]

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verb (used with object), man·han·dled, man·han·dling.

to handle roughly.

to move by human strength, without the use of mechanical appliances.

Origin of manhandle

1425–75; late Middle English. See man¹, handle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for manhandling

maltreat, maul, mistreat, pull, handle, paw, beat, damage, abuse, batter, push, roughhouse, mangle

Examples from the Web for manhandling

Historical Examples of manhandling

You know he's got a system of manhandling that's near the record in these parts.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
Presently the giant paused in manhandling his men, and sniffed the air.
The Moon Colony
William Dixon Bell
By manhandling Bud Hemmingway for wrapping up the wrong ankle, maam!
The Ranchman
Charles Alden Seltzer
Forgive me for manhandling you—and all the rest, if you can!
The Lamp in the Desert
Ethel M. Dell
They passed two more parties of aliens on the move, manhandling with them bulky objects the Terran could not identify.
Storm Over Warlock
Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for manhandling

manhandle

verb (tr)

to handle or push (someone) about roughly

to move or do by manpower rather than by machinery

Word Origin for manhandle

C19: from man + handle; sense 1 perhaps also influenced by Devon dialect manangle to mangle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for manhandling

manhandle

mid-15c., "wield a tool," also, late 15c., "to attack (an enemy)," from man (n.) + handle (v.). Nautical meaning "to move by force of men" (without levers or tackle) is attested from 1834, and is the source of the slang meaning "to handle roughly" (1865).

[T]he two Canalers rushed into the uproar, and sought to drag their man out of it toward the forecastle. Others of the sailors joined with them in this attempt, and a twisted turmoil ensued; while standing out of harm's way, the valiant captain danced up and down with a whale-pike, calling upon his officers to manhandle that atrocious scoundrel, and smoke him along to the quarter-deck. [Melville, "The Town-Ho's Story," "Harper's" magazine, October 1851]