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🕵️ To control unfairly 👐 To handle skillfully 💆 To adjust the body
to manipulate

to manipulate

36 4.2
To move or control something with the hands in a skillful way
  • verb
  • /məˈnɪpjʊˌleɪt/
translation icon : manipular
  • Sword combatants use both footwork and the ability to manipulate timing and distance to enhance the swords cutting and thrusting capabilities.
  • manipulate objects
  • manipulate an instrument
  • manipulate materials

They're things nearby that I can manipulate somehow.

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Examples

  • And once we have these balance equations, we can manipulate them or solve problems.

  • Audacity provides many tools to manipulate the musical elements of pitch, tempo, dynamics, and timbre.

    Academic text (2011)

  • OK, So inside the paper you can manipulate the figure.

  • Make a noise or... manipulate my hair.

    Grave Encounters (2011)

  • Because not only do they manipulate their instruments with great skill, but they have to do it all from memory.

    Zappa (2020)

  • Students must be able to identify and manipulate sounds, associating them with corresponding letters. 3.

    Academic text (2011)

  • During this stage, children begin to manipulate ideas and accept logical societal rules.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Computers are an unsurpassed means of gathering and manipulating large amounts of legal information.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The muscles in her back moved rhythmically as she manipulated the vacuum with quick, vigorous strokes.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The magician skillfully manipulated the cards, making them appear and disappear at will.

Synonyms

to work
vsto manipulate
∞ 2.3

To move and shape materials with hands or tools

emphasizes skilled hand movement rather than material preparation
to handle
vsto manipulate
328 1.0

Touch or hold something with your hands, often carefully

is more about moving or working objects with skilled hand actions
to grasp
vsto manipulate
60 1.1

To take and hold something firmly with the hands

is about skilled hand movement rather than simply holding firmly
to take hold of
vsto manipulate
21 3.1

Grab something or someone with your hands

focuses on deliberate seizing rather than skillful hand movement
to take hold
vsto manipulate
15 2.0

To grasp something with your hands

emphasizes deliberate grabbing rather than careful skilled movement

How Skillful

to finesse
8 6.0
to manipulate
36 4.2
to handle
328 1.0
to pick up
834 1.0
to touch
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

manipulate infinitive
manipulated past
manipulated past participle
manipulating present participle
manipulates third person singular

Morphology

manipulate = manipul + ate

The verb ultimately derives from a Latin stem meaning 'hand', and the sense 'handle with the hands' aligns with that origin, but the stem 'manipul-' is not a productive standalone English base, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from visible English components.

Etymology

Manipulate comes from the Latin root manus meaning 'hand'. Think of it like a manual task: to handle, move, or shape something with your hands and skill.