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 In the government’s view, UBS’s American business, which manages $2.1 trillion for wealthy clients and lends them money, is a potential risk, and regulators want the bank to increase its ability to absorb steep losses there. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 10 June 2025 Now managed by the National Trust, the estate is open to the public, allowing visitors to step inside and experience firsthand the setting of one of literature’s most enduring love stories. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 June 2025 Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025 Some Americans are managing to save enough for a first home by temporarily moving in with family or friends to minimize the cost of rent, Lautz said. —Alain Sherter, CBS News, 9 June 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
  • Production is being handled by Fortiche Films (Jérôme Combe, Hervé Dupont), with Les Storygraphes and ARTE France onboard as co-producers.
    — Jamie Lang, Variety, 10 June 2025
  • For fintech founders, that edge is rarely in building internal compliance systems, managing bank integrations or handling payments infrastructure from the ground up.
    — Serge Beck, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Definition of handle
Verb
  • Kim also supervised test-firings of missiles from the destroyer afterward, and state media said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
  • There would also be logistical questions to address, including who's responsible for supervising students if they are made to leave their classroom during certain lessons and how to select alternative material that is inoffensive to their parents.
    — BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Going on plenty of walks and sticking to the dog's normal routine can all assist in helping your dog cope with a loss.
    — Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
  • Young men might be more likely to suppress emotional expression, engage in risk-taking behavior, or use substances to cope with grief.
    — Charell G. Coleman, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Definition of cope
Verb
  • This may surprise the more than 1 million Californians who received $21.65 apiece from the state in mid-May after a settlement reached by state Attorney General Rob Bonta with three gasoline trading firms that allegedly manipulated gas prices in 2016 during another refinery outage.
    — Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
  • Deepfakes are manipulated images, audio recordings, or videos of real people that have been altered with artificial intelligence to misrepresent someone as saying or doing something that the person did not actually say or do.
    — Alain Sherter, CBS News, 6 June 2025
Definition of manipulate
Verb
  • A week later, Qasem Hassan learned that the School for Continuing Medical Education in Family Medicine, which oversaw the ethics course, had received a letter from several residents in the class.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
  • Eventually the archipelago was divided, with the western islands becoming the independent nation of Samoa and the eastern ones becoming American Samoa, overseen by the Navy.
    — Mark Thiessen, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
Definition of oversee
Verb
  • One of his owners, Craig Leipold, did, back in January.
    — Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 5 June 2025
  • As the beautiful game expands further into every corner of the globe, so do the product lines that underpin it.
    — Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Definition of do
Verb
  • Platforms would also need to take other steps such as implementing a protocol for addressing suicidal ideation, suicide or self-harm expressed by users.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
  • The Real Housewives of New York City alum, 54, took to Instagram to address the discourse around her appearance at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s Swim Week 2025 runway show in Miami.
    — Catherine Santino, People.com, 3 June 2025
Definition of address
Verb
  • Specific programs targeted for elimination include the Mars Sample Return mission, the currently operating Mars Odyssey and MAVEN missions around Mars, and several missions to Venus.
    — Wendy Whitman Cobb, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
  • The property at 6161 W. Grand Ave. was previously operated as a Holiday Inn.
    — Erin Yarnall, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
Definition of operate

Browse Nearby Words

manacling
manage
manageable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Manage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manage. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.

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