Library / English Dictionary

MANIPULATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Treat manually, as with massage, for therapeutic purposed

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "manipulate" is one way to...):

care for; treat (provide treatment for)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he manipulate his foot?

Derivation:

manipulation (the action of touching with the hands (or the skillful use of the hands) or by the use of mechanical means)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hold something in one's hands and move it

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "manipulate" is one way to...):

handle; palm (touch, lift, or hold with the hands)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "manipulate"):

lay hands on (manage with the hands)

mouse (manipulate the mouse of a computer)

fiddle with; twiddle (manipulate, as in a nervous or unconscious manner)

handle; manage; wield (handle effectively)

control; operate (handle and cause to function)

knead; massage; rub down (manually manipulate (someone's body), usually for medicinal or relaxation purposes)

knead; work (make uniform)

mix; ruffle; shuffle (mix so as to make a random order or arrangement)

fiddle; monkey; tamper (play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly)

diddle; fiddle; play; toy (manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

manipulation (the action of touching with the hands (or the skillful use of the hands) or by the use of mechanical means)

manipulator (a person who handles things manually)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Maintain influence over (others or oneself) skillfully, usually to one's advantage

Example:

she keeps in line

Synonyms:

control; keep in line; manipulate

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "manipulate" is one way to...):

interact (act together or towards others or with others)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "manipulate"):

tease (to arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them)

handle (show and train)

ingratiate (gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

manipulation (exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage)

manipulative (skillful in influencing or controlling others to your own advantage)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Manipulate in a fraudulent manner

Example:

rig prices

Synonyms:

manipulate; rig

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "manipulate" is one way to...):

price (determine the price of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Influence or control shrewdly or deviously

Example:

He manipulated public opinion in his favor

Synonyms:

manipulate; pull strings; pull wires

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "manipulate" is one way to...):

act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

manipulation (exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage)

manipulative (skillful in influencing or controlling others to your own advantage)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Tamper, with the purpose of deception

Example:

falsify the data

Synonyms:

cook; fake; falsify; fudge; manipulate; misrepresent; wangle

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "manipulate" is one way to...):

cheat; chisel (engage in deceitful behavior; practice trickery or fraud)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "manipulate"):

juggle (manipulate by or as if by moving around components)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

A laboratory procedure where the gene encoding a therapeutic recombinant protein is manipulated to minimize the immunogenicity of the protein.

(Deimmunization, NCI Thesaurus)

Production is expensive and the products — biological agents generated by manipulating the immune system of horses — have a short shelf-life.

(Snakebite resolution set for Health Assembly approval, SciDev.Net)

The researchers can also manipulate the dimensions of the shapes, so they resemble flowers, trees or snowflakes, which are visualized using special microscopy techniques.

(New technique helps engineer water filters, human tissues, National Science Foundation)

Researchers have found that manipulating a single RNA molecule may be enough to reverse cellular aging.

(Scientists Discover Molecule that Could Reverse Cellular Aging, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A technique that utilizes light waves to exert minute forces as well as transmit energy to isolate and manipulate nanoparticles.

(Optical Tweezers, NCI Thesaurus)

The worms, known as Caenorhabditis elegans, are commonly used in research because they are easy to genetically manipulate.

(Magnetic Field Sensor Unearthed in Worms, NIH)

Manipulated or engineered viruses having oncolytic properties to selectively replicate in and kill targeted cancer cells, leaving normal cells unharmed.

(Oncolytic virus, NCI Thesaurus)

A measure of how far a joint can move when it is being manipulated by someone other than the patient.

(Passive Range of Motion, NCI Thesaurus)

These were just two examples of changes in breathing caused by manipulating the way astrocytes communicate with neighboring cells.

(Star-like cells may help the brain tune breathing rhythms, National Institutes of Health)

It’s often performed by manipulating thin metallic needles inserted through the skin.

(Electroacupuncture Reduces Sepsis in Mice, NIH)