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Synonyms

manage

American  
[man-ij] / ˈmæn ɪdʒ /

verb (used with object)

managed, managing
  1. to bring about or succeed in accomplishing, sometimes despite difficulty or hardship.

    She managed to see the governor. How does she manage it on such a small income?

    Synonyms:
    contrive, arrange
  2. to take charge or care of.

    to manage my investments.

  3. to dominate or influence (a person) by tact, flattery, or artifice.

    He manages the child with exemplary skill.

  4. to handle, direct, govern, or control in action or use.

    She managed the boat efficiently.

    Synonyms:
    engineer, regulate, conduct, guide
  5. to wield (a weapon, tool, etc.).

    Synonyms:
    manipulate, handle
  6. to handle or train (a horse) in the exercises of the manège.

  7. Archaic. to use sparingly or with judgment, as health or money; husband.


verb (used without object)

managed, managing
  1. to conduct business, commercial affairs, etc.; be in charge.

    Who will manage while the boss is away?

  2. to continue to function, progress, or succeed, usually despite hardship or difficulty; get along.

    How will he manage with his wife gone? It was a rough time, but we managed.

manage British  
/ ˈmænɪdʒ /

verb

  1. (also intr) to be in charge (of); administer

    to manage one's affairs

    to manage a shop

  2. to succeed in being able (to do something) despite obstacles; contrive

    did you manage to go to sleep?

  3. to have room, time, etc, for

    can you manage dinner tomorrow?

  4. to exercise control or domination over, often in a tactful or guileful manner

  5. (intr) to contrive to carry on despite difficulties, esp financial ones

    he managed quite well on very little money

  6. to wield or handle (a weapon)

  7. rare to be frugal in the use of

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an archaic word for manège

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See rule.

Other Word Forms

  • overmanage verb (used with object)
  • quasi-managed adjective
  • self-managing adjective
  • undermanage verb (used with object)
  • undermanaged adjectiveundermanaged, undermanaging
  • unmanaged adjective
  • well-managed adjective

Etymology

Origin of manage

First recorded in 1555–65; earlier manege, from Italian maneggiare “to handle, train (horses),” derivative of mano, from Latin manus “hand”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In some moments, Petrović even managed to see the humanity in his captors, despite his discomfort and constant fear of being killed.

From BBC

Song Hyun-jin, who interviewed more than 120 North Korean defectors about women's leadership in the regime, says it's no longer rare to see women managing factories and filling party seats in North Korea.

From BBC

Lisowski managed to win one more frame, with a break of 53, before Hawkins clinched the Welsh Open title in the 14th frame of the final.

From BBC

Posting on social media on Sunday, he said he was "on the mend" and had managed a "short run" as part of his recovery.

From BBC

Almost everything we do at work—identifying the experts, managing tough feedback from a boss, figuring out how to work in teams made up of different personalities—comes down to our ability to manage relationships.

From The Wall Street Journal