manipulate

manipulate — verb

1. to get people or situations to work in your favour by using clever methods that

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to get people or situations to work in your favour by using clever methods that are not honest, usually without the other person knowing what you are doing

Example

Hui discovered that her manager had manipulated the sales figures to hide falling profits.

manipulate + figures/data for dishonest purpose

Politicians sometimes try to manipulate voters by spreading false information before an election.

Common collocations
  • manipulate public opinion
  • manipulate the market
  • manipulate data/figures
  • manipulate someone into something
  • manipulate a situation
Synonyms
  • control

    broader and more neutral; manipulation is a type of control that involves trickery

  • influence

    can be positive or negative; manipulation always implies hidden, self-serving intent

  • exploit

    more direct in its negativity, emphasises taking advantage of someone's weakness

  • manoeuvre

    implies strategic positioning, common in business or politics, often less openly dishonest

Antonyms
  • support

    to help someone openly and honestly rather than control them secretly

Grammar Patterns

manipulate + person/group

manipulate + something (data, figures, public opinion)

manipulate + person + into + gerund

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person, group, or organization seeking an unfair advantage. The object can be a person, a group of people, or something abstract such as data, public opinion, or a situation. This sense almost always carries a negative moral judgment.

Common Mistakes

She manipulated the schedule fairly so that everyone got a turn.
She arranged the schedule fairly so that everyone got a turn.
'manipulate' implies dishonesty, so combining it with 'fairly' creates a contradiction.
The manager manipulated his employees with respect.
The manager treated his employees with respect.
'manipulate' cannot carry a meaning of honest, respectful treatment.

2. to move, handle, or operate something with your hands in a skillful and careful

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to move, handle, or operate something with your hands in a skillful and careful way

Example

Nila carefully manipulated the small buttons on the radio until she found a station.

The robot arm can manipulate objects as small as a grain of rice.

manipulate + small/delicate objects

Common collocations
  • manipulate objects
  • manipulate controls
  • manipulate tools/instruments
  • manipulate the levers
Synonyms
  • handle

    more general and less precise; manipulate suggests greater skill and delicacy

  • operate

    focuses on machinery or controls; manipulate can refer to any physical object worked by hand

  • work

    informal and broad; manipulate suggests careful, deliberate control

Antonyms
  • drop

    to let go of something rather than hold and control it carefully

Grammar Patterns

manipulate + object/device/tool

Usage Note

Object is typically a physical item such as a tool, a control, or a small object. The action is deliberate and precise, not casual or rough.

Common Mistakes

She manipulated the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
She carried the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
'manipulate' implies skillful, precise hand movements, not simply moving a heavy object.
He manipulated the door open angrily.
He pushed the door open angrily.
the skill and precision of 'manipulate' conflict with angry, forceful movement.

3. to treat a joint, muscle, or bone by pressing and moving it with your hands, esp

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to treat a joint, muscle, or bone by pressing and moving it with your hands, especially to relieve pain or correct a problem

Example

Valentina's physiotherapist manipulated her shoulder after the injury to help it heal properly.

manipulate + body part for therapeutic purpose

The doctor gently manipulated the baby's leg to check whether the bone had healed correctly.

Common collocations
  • manipulate the spine
  • manipulate a joint
  • manipulate muscles
  • manipulate the neck
Synonyms
  • adjust

    broader, can refer to any correction; manipulation in medicine suggests a specific hands-on technique

  • treat

    general medical term; manipulate is a specific type of treatment involving hand movements

  • massage

    focuses on soft tissue; manipulation often includes joint movement and bone positioning

Grammar Patterns

manipulate + body part (joint/spine/muscle)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a healthcare professional such as a physiotherapist, chiropractor, or osteopath. The object is a part of the body such as a joint, the spine, or a muscle group. Common in the context of sports injuries or chronic pain treatment.

Common Mistakes

The doctor manipulated the patient's broken leg in surgery.
The doctor operated on the patient's broken leg in surgery.
'manipulate' for body parts refers to non-surgical hand techniques on joints and muscles, not surgical procedures on fractures.

Word family

  • manipulation
    nounB2
  • manipulative
    adjectiveC1
  • manipulator
    nounC1
  • manipulated
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words share the idea of causing someone to act a certain way, but they differ sharply in intent and openness. 'Control' is the broadest and most neutral — you can control a machine or control a class of students without any dishonesty. 'Influence' is softer and can be positive, such as when a mentor influences a young person's career choices. 'Exploit' is openly negative and focuses on taking advantage of someone's weakness for your own gain, like exploiting low-paid workers. 'Manoeuvre' sits between these: it suggests strategic positioning, often in business or politics, and sometimes carries a negative tone but does not always imply outright dishonesty. 'Manipulate' is the strongest of the group — it always suggests hidden, self-serving methods, and the person being manipulated does not know they are being controlled. For example: a manager might control a budget, influence a team decision, manoeuvre for a promotion, but would manipulate the sales figures to get a bonus.

control ↗influence ↗exploit ↗manoeuvre

Common collocations

Nouns

  • manipulate people
  • manipulate data
  • manipulate objects
  • manipulate the system

Adverbs

  • carefully manipulate
  • skillfully manipulate
  • gently manipulate
  • easily manipulate

Phrases

  • manipulate the situation
  • manipulate public opinion
  • manipulate someone into doing something

Prepositions

  • manipulate into
  • manipulate with

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'manipulate' entered English in the early 19th century, coming from the Latin word 'manipulus', which meant 'a handful' or 'a sheaf of grain'. This was formed from 'manus' (hand) and a suffix related to 'plenus' (full). The original meaning was simply 'to handle by hand', but by the mid-1800s it had developed the figurative sense of controlling people or situations, and later the medical sense of treating the body by hand.