manipulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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manipulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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manipulated,
past participle, past
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manipulating
present participle
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to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner.
to manipulate people's feelings.
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to handle, manage, or use, especially with skill, in some process of treatment or performance.
to manipulate a large tractor.
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to adapt or change (accounts, figures, etc.) to suit one's purpose or advantage.
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Medicine/Medical. to examine or treat by skillful use of the hands, as in palpation, reduction of dislocations, or changing the position of a fetus.
verb
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(tr) to handle or use, esp with some skill, in a process or action
to manipulate a pair of scissors
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to negotiate, control, or influence (something or someone) cleverly, skilfully, or deviously
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to falsify (a bill, accounts, etc) for one's own advantage
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(in physiotherapy) to examine or treat manually, as in loosening a joint
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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manipulabilitynoun
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manipulationnoun
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manipulatornoun
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outmanipulateverb (used with object)
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manipulatableadjective
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manipulativeadjective
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manipulatoryadjective
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nonmanipulativeadjective
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nonmanipulatoryadjective
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unmanipulatableadjective
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unmanipulatedadjective
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unmanipulativeadjective
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unmanipulatoryadjective
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manipulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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manipulatesimple
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manipulatessimple
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have manipulatedperfect
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has manipulatedperfect
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am manipulatingprogressive
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are manipulatingprogressive
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is manipulatingprogressive
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have been manipulatingperfect progressive
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has been manipulatingperfect progressive
Past
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manipulatedsimple
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had manipulatedperfect
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was manipulatingprogressive
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were manipulatingprogressive
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had been manipulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manipulate
First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from manipulation
Explanation
To manipulate something means to handle it skillfully, like the way a sculptor manipulates clay or a really good politician works a crowd. The verb manipulate evolved from manipulation, which back in the 1700s referred to a method of digging ore. So manipulating something originally only meant moving or arranging it by hand or mechanically. It wasn't until 1864 that people started using the word manipulate to describe someone exerting mental or emotional influence on others.
Vocabulary lists containing manipulate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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The Westing Game
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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:
New tools in neuroscience have allowed researchers to manipulate the activity of specific neurons in mice brains.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
But on the edge of town, engineers peer through giant magnifying glasses while robotic arms manipulate sheets of copper to develop components used in some of the world's most advanced AI systems.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
They have recently reached a point where, in some circumstances, they can navigate in three-dimensional space and even manipulate objects autonomously with just a simple set of instructions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
You’re taking other people’s work or information and you’re finding a way to manipulate it, make it more metabolizable for the American public.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
And once I finished, I knew the miller would find new ways to manipulate me.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
He manipulates the physical form of the ingredient to showcase different temperatures and textures: souffle, cream, biscuit, foam, and air.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Niki just wants them to stop the racket they’re making with their drill, so he quickly manipulates the lock and gets back to tuning.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Helios, the most advanced quantum computer ever built, manipulates them with lasers to solve complex questions that would take conventional machines centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Konan, Mark explains how the 5–4 decision manipulates commonly understood definitions of “miscarriage” and “loss” in order to afford immunity to the U.S.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2026
The ease with which he manipulates words is his greatest talent.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
“Arday was a powerful, influential, famous person who sought his position, who manipulated people to obtain it,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Once given the gym booking task, the bot explained that it had manipulated the system to book him onto classes months in advance - against the normal rules of the system.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
During interviews conducted after the experiment, most participants said they had not realized that their posture was being manipulated.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Of particular concern for the EU are deepfakes -- text, images, videos and sounds that appear to be real but are generated or manipulated by AI.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Eventually she pressed her foot to the brake pedal, manipulated the automatic gear shift as if it were an enormous, leaky pen, and backed inch by inch out of the parking space.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
It also prevents sides from manipulating the cap.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"That was very surprising. From our genetic models, we knew manipulating arginine levels had a strong effect on gene expression, but we didn't expect the dietary manipulation to be equally impactful."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
The NFL prohibits renegotiating contracts after the regular season ends, a rule meant to limit teams from manipulating future cap charges once they know their final record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Pricerunner filed its suit following a European Union General Court ruling that Google "breached EU antitrust laws by manipulating search results in favour of their own comparison shopping services".
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
“You’re manipulating my illusion,” Marco says, looking curiously at the wine-soaked tree.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
