manhandle
Americanverb (used with object)
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manhandles,
present (3rd person singular)
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manhandled,
past participle, past
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manhandling
present participle
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to handle roughly.
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to move by human strength, without the use of mechanical appliances.
verb
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to handle or push (someone) about roughly
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to move or do by manpower rather than by machinery
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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manhandlesimple
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manhandlessimple
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have manhandledperfect
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has manhandledperfect
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am manhandlingprogressive
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are manhandlingprogressive
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is manhandlingprogressive
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have been manhandlingperfect progressive
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has been manhandlingperfect progressive
Past
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manhandledsimple
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had manhandledperfect
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was manhandlingprogressive
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were manhandlingprogressive
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had been manhandlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manhandle
Explanation
When you manhandle something, you pick it up, push it, or pull it roughly. You might gasp watching movers manhandle your fragile furniture as they load it into a moving van. You can manhandle things, and you can also manhandle people, shoving or grabbing them. If security workers at the airport manhandle a little old lady, nearby passengers will probably speak up in her defense. This current meaning arose in the late nineteenth century — earlier, manhandle meant "attack an enemy," and before that, "wield a tool."
Vocabulary lists containing manhandle
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:
Defenders manhandle Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith on every down to stop him from reaching the ball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
As long as he's not too tight at the weight then I think he can bully and manhandle Smith, being the naturally bigger guy.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2023
His lead was one shot over Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge, but his start echoed to yesteryear, when he would zoom from the gate and manhandle majors as he won the 2011 U.S.
From Washington Post ● May 19, 2022
BYU was a 19 ½-point favorite and was expected to manhandle the Eagles.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2021
Then he unhitched his horse from the rocks and let it graze while he began to manhandle the first of the granite blocks into the trench he had already dug to receive it.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
At 6 feet 9 and 330 pounds, he manhandles players from other schools.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2016
Eifman manhandles Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and “I Got Rhythm.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2015
Toibin never manhandles life and would in fact prefer not to leave any fingerprints on its lapels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2014
In its turn, Oxford manhandles him considerably, de-bagging* him, staging mock parades in his honor to the tune of Ovah Theah.
From Time Magazine Archive
On Friday, Syed Wajid Ali Shah Gillani, president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, alleged in a video statement that police manhandled the couple before arresting them.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
According to the New York Times, Trump liked Lewandowski for his “feisty instincts and off-color humor” but he ended up reluctantly firing him after he’d manhandled a reporter.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2025
After getting manhandled by two opponents from the Mountain West Conference, UCLA’s offensive line largely held up against a Penn State defense that was supposed to be the Nittany Lions’ strength.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025
They found themselves in the rare position of meeting a genuine chess celebrity, while also being manhandled by him on the board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025
She'd eaten this woman's food and manhandled her son—she was in no position to argue.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
The manhandling of California’s senior senator was filmed by a staffer and broadcast around the world, provoking searing and widespread condemnation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2025
"I just saw something that sickened my stomach," Schumer said, "the manhandling of a United States Senator."
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025
Virginia had the week’s biggest jump within the poll, followed by No. 4 Texas’ seven-spot climb after manhandling Gonzaga.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
Almighty skating and sleight-of-hand playmaking can, in an instant, give way to manhandling opposing players.
From New York Times ● May 3, 2022
Now the builder was hauling the rocks up hundreds of feet and manhandling each rock into place.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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.
