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:
"I'm not worried about my daughters, but there could be people with bad intentions who might take advantage of this trend to manipulate teenagers."
From BBC ● 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
Green Lanterns are intergalactic heroes who use a special ring to harness their imagination and willpower to manifest objects, manipulate energy and fly, as we see Jordan do, to Stewart’s chagrin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
A skilled writer can interleave multiple story lines, or deliberately manipulate suspense and surprise, or engage the reader with a chain of associations, each topic shunting the reader to the next.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Amazing the way he's gifted with the ball, the way he manipulates the ball, and also the way he's able to think for himself.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
A well-read person grows body armor against the rigid conspiracy theorist, against flat artificial intelligence that manipulates without emotion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
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
She’s showing us exactly how the majority manipulates the text until it gets where it wants to go.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
“You don’t have to be afraid of him. Some people act like witchery is responsible for everything that happens, when actually witchery only manipulates a small portion.”
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
Flying Food Group vehemently denied the substance of the complaint, writing in its statement that “images were staged, manipulated, taken out of context, or otherwise presented in a manner that distorts their meaning.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 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
Zhou’s attorneys would later allege that photos Wan sent of the children were manipulated with AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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
Parker also left directions to correct some of the items he had manipulated for the purposes of the letter, such as the photo of Leanne Washington.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
The commission, along with more than 20 states, alleged the e-commerce giant reaped billions by manipulating ad prices on its retail platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
"There's growing interest across medical disciplines in manipulating the human microbiome or using its metabolic products themselves for therapy," said Rabinowitz.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
It also prevents sides from manipulating the cap.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
By manipulating each tank's temperature and pH levels, scientists can simulate future heatwaves and induce coral bleaching to see how fish and other organisms adapt.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
When people are manipulating you, telling you to buy this perfume and you’ll be beautiful, or this pair of jeans and you’ll be sexy—and you believe them!
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
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.
