manipulate
verb
ma·nip·u·late
| \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt
\
\
manipulated;
manipulating
Definition of manipulate
1
: to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner
manipulate a pencil manipulate a machine
2a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
quantify our data and manipulate it statistically— S. L. Payne
3
: to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose : doctor
suspected that the police reports were manipulated— Evelyn G. Cruickshanks
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Other Words from manipulate
manipulatable
\ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
manipulation
\ mə-ˌni-pyə-ˈlā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
manipulator
\ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
manipulatory
\ mə-ˈni-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of manipulate in a Sentence
The baby is learning to manipulate blocks.
The mechanical arms are manipulated by a computer.
The doctor manipulated my back.
The program was designed to organize and manipulate large amounts of data.
He's always been good at manipulating numbers in his head.
As part of the experiment, students manipulated light and temperature to see how it affected the plants.
She knows how to manipulate her parents to get what she wants.
He felt that he had been manipulated by the people he trusted most.
The editorial was a blatant attempt to manipulate public opinion.
He's accused of trying to manipulate the price of the stock.
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Recent Examples on the Web
By taking the symbolic but extraordinary step of labeling China a currency manipulator for — wait for it — not manipulating its currency enough. — Daniel W. Drezner, Twin Cities, "Daniel Drezner: This trade war will get out of control," 7 Aug. 2019 Li left the country in 1985 for his graduate education, as have many of China's best and brightest young scientists over the past few decades, and then returned home in 1995 to focus on manipulating plant DNA. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "With its CRISPR revolution, China becomes a world leader in genome editing," 2 Aug. 2019 The judges who emerge from this complicated selection process are expected to issue rulings favourable to the people who manipulate it, for example on tax cases. — The Economist, "Letting academics pick magistrates has not worked in Guatemala," 25 July 2019 Three months later, Zuckerberg’s mentor, Roger McNamee, also attempted to alert Zuckerberg and Facebook executives that the platform was being used to manipulate information about the election. — Jennifer Grygiel, The Conversation, "Facebook algorithm changes suppressed journalism and meddled with democracy," 24 July 2019 Some said the organist used his considerable artistic standing to manipulate and cajole students, dangling before them entrance to some of classical music’s most rarefied circles. — Danny Mcdonald, BostonGlobe.com, "Acclaimed organist found responsible for sexual misconduct at College of the Holy Cross," 9 July 2019 Do not share your financial data, credit card details, passwords, address, or other details that a catfish might use to blackmail or manipulate you. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al.com, "Which state has the highest rate of catfish victims? Hint: It’s not Alabama," 12 June 2019 Kem and his party had performed well in parliamentary elections six years ago despite the ruling party’s efforts to manipulate them, including the occasional unsolved murder and attacks on opposition rallies. — Richard Bernstein, The New York Review of Books, "Cambodia: A Country for Rent," 21 Feb. 2019 The issue is sensitive since Russia used Facebook to manipulate U.S. voters during the 2016 presidential election. — Adam Satariano, The Seattle Times, "A hot seat for Facebook, an empty chair for Zuckerberg and a vow to share secret files," 27 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manipulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for manipulate
manipulate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of manipulate
: to move or control (something) with your hands or by using a machine
medical
: to move (muscles and bones) with your hands as a form of treatment
: to use or change (numbers, information, etc.) in a skillful way or for a particular purpose
See the full definition for manipulate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
manipulate
verb
ma·nip·u·late
| \ mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt
\
\
manipulated;
manipulating
Kids Definition of manipulate
1
: to operate, use, or move with the hands or by mechanical means
She learned to manipulate the levers of the machine.
2
: to manage skillfully and especially with intent to deceive
The candidates tried to manipulate public opinion.
manipulate
transitive verb
ma·nip·u·late
| \ mə-ˈnip-yə-ˌlāt
\
\
manipulated;
manipulating
Medical Definition of manipulate
1
: to treat or operate with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner
manipulate the fragments of a broken bone into correct position
2a
: to manage or utilize skillfully
b
: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage