manipulation

American  

[muh-nip-yuh-lay-shuhn] / məˌnɪp jəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• manipulations
  plural

1. the act of manipulating.

2. the state or fact of being manipulated.

3. skillful or artful management.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• manipulations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of manipulation

First recorded in 1720–30; from French, equivalent to manipule “handful” ( see maniple) + -ation -ation

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Explanation

Manipulation is the skillful handling, controlling or using of something or someone. Whether it's the sculpture you made in art class or how you convinced your friend to do your homework — both are considered manipulation. From the Latin word for "handful," manipulation certainly has much to do with using your hands to move or shape something, like a good DJ manipulating two totally different tunes into the perfect mashup. But this word also has some negative connotations — a manipulative person knows how to twist words, play on emotions and otherwise manage a situation in a sneaky fashion to get what he wants.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manipulation manipulations

The NBA and its sports betting partners are banning certain bets this season that are highly susceptible to manipulation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Trainers used manual manipulation to find Diaz’ ideal arm slot and build muscle memory, and he was quickly cleared to resume throwing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Federal regulations require trading venues to meet stringent standards to deter manipulation and abusive trading practices, ensure orderly and transparent trading, prevent conflicts of interest and safeguard customer funds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Newer generative AI systems can create footage that lacks many of the obvious artifacts associated with earlier deepfake technology, making them a more difficult target for detectors trained primarily on older forms of manipulation.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

The nurse had tied them into a double knot, the way one does for children, and Shadrack, long unaccustomed to the manipulation of intricate things, could not get diem loose.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

The book comments on the manipulations Grossman’s pieces were subjected to and discusses how efforts to find earlier drafts of the publications in Russian archives have been unsuccessful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

The figure shows that over 80% of hourly workers and 30% of salaried workers could benefit from the manipulations.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

In addition to exploring dietary and microbiome manipulations that could help with liver cancer, the team is curious to see if other conditions could be treated by targeting BAAT.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2025

Still, it’s unclear whether AI’s digital manipulations could match the proverbial human touch.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2025

Then, after all your manipulations are complete, you take the limit: you extrapolate and figure out where the expression is headed.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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