manipulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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manipulativeadjective
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manipulativelyadverb
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nonmanipulatoryadjective
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nonmanipulativeadjective
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manipulatoryadjective
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unmanipulativeadjective
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manipulatornoun
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outmanipulateverb (used with object)
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unmanipulatableadjective
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unmanipulatoryadjective
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manipulatableadjective
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manipulabilitynoun
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manipulationnoun
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unmanipulatedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have manipulatedperfect
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has manipulatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been manipulatingperfect progressive
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has been manipulatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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manipulatingparticiple
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is manipulatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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manipulatessingular 3rd person
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am manipulatingprogressive 1st person singular
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are manipulatingprogressive
Past
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had manipulatedperfect
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were manipulatingprogressive plural
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had been manipulatingperfect progressive
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manipulatedsimple
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manipulatedparticiple
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was manipulatingprogressive singular
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.
He criticised online influencers who were willing to manipulate and "trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Second, by treating overtime pay differently than other dollars earned, the law encourages workers to manipulate their hours worked — both legitimately and illegitimately.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
Instead of relying on bulky lenses and hardware, researchers are exploring materials that can manipulate light at the atomic scale.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
Other players including IBM are focused on a different modality that uses quantum gates, or operations that manipulate the state of quantum bits to solve problems.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
But they were able to reprogram him, so maybe like with Feathers and Rubio, something about his mind was easier to manipulate?
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
