manage

verb

ˈma-nij How to pronounce manage (audio)
Definition of managenext
1
as in to handle
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently as usual, she managed the crisis with a minimum of fuss

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to supervise
to look after and make decisions about managed a household and a business simultaneously

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to cope
to meet one's day-to-day needs it'll be hard for a few weeks, but we'll manage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word manage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of manage are conduct, control, and direct. While all these words mean "to use one's powers to lead, guide, or dominate," manage implies direct handling and manipulating or maneuvering toward a desired result.

manages a meat market

Where would conduct be a reasonable alternative to manage?

The words conduct and manage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conduct implies taking responsibility for the acts and achievements of a group.

conducted negotiations

When is control a more appropriate choice than manage?

In some situations, the words control and manage are roughly equivalent. However, control implies a regulating or restraining in order to keep within bounds or on a course.

controlling his appetite

When can direct be used instead of manage?

The meanings of direct and manage largely overlap; however, direct implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.

directs the store's day-to-day business

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of manage Moving amongst the highest social circles in Britain, Jane managed to secure a place in the upper classes, only to lose her job with the Duchess after nine years of service. — Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025 Young manages it all with a maturity beyond her years. — Audra Heinrichs, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025 The dispatchers managed to keep the caller and her brother calm while directing firefighters to a streetcorner that had easy access to the wooded area for one fire company to walk in through. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025 Netanyahu, for his part, managed to survive beyond both of those presidencies and is still very much on the political scene today. — Tevi Troy, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for manage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manage
  1. handle
  2. supervise
  3. cope
  4. manipulate
  5. oversee
  6. do
  7. address
  8. operate
Verb
  • The policy lays out a process for handling complaints, allows district administrators to implement the policy and directs questions about it to the superintendent.
    — Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Just be sure your child is old enough to handle those unexpected carrot pieces—choking hazards will never be funny! 15.
    — Kimberly Stoney, Parents, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of handle
Verb
  • And another question: Isn’t anyone supervising the people who design these things?
    — Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Environmental Protection Agency staff members across the country have been told by supervisors they are prohibited from communicating with grantee partners they are supposed to supervise and monitor, according to multiple sources inside the EPA and others working directly with the agency.
    — MaryAlice Parks, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • The reforestation effort is part of the city's multiyear strategy to improve storm-water management and help residents cope with extreme heat.
    — Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Strengthen national climate policies to accelerate mitigation and adaptation, such as prioritizing funding and policies to help communities cope with climate risks.
    — David Vetter, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of cope
Verb
  • Mid-20th century, metafiction was all about producing a sort of free zone of uncertainty in the reader about whether they themselves might be caught within a story or the product of some author, or being manipulated by some storyteller at a higher ontological plane, a different plane of being.
    — Emma Alpern, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
  • In Lynch’s festering neo-noir mystery from 1987, Hopper plays a chronic villain perpetually sipping from a tank of amyl nitrate and handing out hits as a way to manipulate his henchmen.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of manipulate
Verb
  • Judge Boasberg -- who previously oversaw the United States Alien Terrorist Removal Court -- pushed back on the idea that the information could not be disclosed to the court.
    — Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
  • But the government body responsible for overseeing contaminants in cookies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), doesn’t set limits for metals in foods.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of oversee
Verb
  • Then Sterling did some less effective things and got suspended anyway, so that mad idea was, at least, parked for the time being.
    — Amy Lawrence, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • However, once the exchange went viral, his bosses urged him to do so on ESPN First Take, which Smith lead as talent and executive producer.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of do
Verb
  • Trump's silence on Medicaid speaks volumes President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, for 100 minutes.
    — Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Provide managerial training to equip managers with the skills to recognize early signs of burnout and address them with empathy, active listening, and crisis management training.
    — Jason Wingard, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of address
Verb
  • In some facilities, just one sensor helps operate FlowMS, but in other, larger fulfillment centers, Amazon employs up to three sensors.
    — Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Along with its production activities, privately held Hearst Corp. operates a string of local TV stations and is a 50-50 partner with Disney in A+E Global Media.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of operate

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Cite this Entry

“Manage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manage. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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