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💆 A body rub 💆 To rub body 📝 To change data
to massage

to massage

12 7.7
To change numbers or information to make results look better
  • verb
  • /məˈsɑːʒ/
translation icon : manipular
  • OK, So let's see whether we can massage this equation to look like this equation.
  • massage the data
  • massage the numbers
  • massage the facts

Then I massage it to try to make it equitable at the end.

Examples

  • The politician was found to massage the survey results to influence public opinion.

  • We will be fortunate to max out at 15% unemployment (after they massage the numbers).

    Blog text (23)

  • The earnings miss may indicate that despite all efforts to massage the numbers, the company still could not make the estimate, which suggests that something more important than a small miss has occurred.

    Academic text (2016)

  • There really is a sense in which the text is appropriated and massaged to advance an agenda.

    Blog text (4)

  • I am moving into my fifth year of teaching and have massaged my plans and constantly revise projects in order to accommodate other lessons and activities.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The analyst decided to massage the figures to make the report more favorable for the investors.

  • They often massage the statistics to present a more positive outlook for the company.

Synonyms

to rig
vsto massage
114 6.9

To arrange something dishonestly to get the result you want

works on figures and information specifically rather than manipulating whole systems
to warp
vsto massage
30 7.4

To change facts or stories so they are not true

targets data and figures to shift outcomes toward a preferred result
to doctor
vsto massage
10 7.7

To change something to hide the truth

uses subtler numeric adjustments rather than outright falsifying records
to stretch the truth
vsto massage
  • Informal
5 5.3

To make a story seem better than it really is

alters numerical information specifically rather than mainly exaggerating facts
to fudge the details
vsto massage
  • Informal
7.7

Change facts on purpose to make something seem better

focuses specifically on adjusting numbers and figures rather than general facts

Compounds

massage parlor
  • NSFW
8 5.6

A business where people go to get a massage to relax or ease pain, sometimes offering illegal sexual services

Swedish massage
2 3.6

A gentle body treatment using long strokes and rubbing to relax muscles

cardiac massage
  • Specialized
1 4.0

Repeated pressing on the chest to keep blood moving when the heart stops

African massage
  • South African
5.2

A body treatment from Africa that uses hand movements to relax muscles

heart massage
  • Specialized
3.2

Pressing the chest to make the heart pump when it stops

How Dishonest

to falsify
  • Formal
44 7.3
to massage
12 7.7
to fudge
11 7.5
tweak
28 3.9
to adjust
317 2.7

Surface Forms

massage infinitive
massaged past
massaged past participle
massaging present participle
massages third person singular

Etymology

The verb massage for changing numbers comes from the same idea as masser 'to knead' — to press and change something by hand — so to massage data is to change figures to make them look better, sometimes in a dishonest way.