What does "manage" mean?
The act of managing or controlling something.
Manage
/ˈmæn.ɪd͡ʒ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of managing or controlling something.
- Grammar: manage is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: cope, handle, oversee, supervise.
- Useful contrasts: clerk, drowning, drown.
- Usage evidence: Can you manage to complete the manuscript by Friday?
How to use "manage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "manage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "manage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "manage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "manage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "manage" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cope" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "manage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of managing or controlling something. archaic, uncountable
"the winged God himſelfe Came riding on a Lion rauenous, Taught to obay the menage of that Elfe […]."
- 2 Manège. uncountable
"You must draw [the horse] in his career with his manage, and turn, doing the corvetto, leaping &c.."
Verb
- 1 To direct or be in charge of. transitive
"Even though Jack is a novice, he manages his team with great success."
- 2 handle effectively wordnet
- 3 To handle or control (a situation, job). transitive
"The government managed the inflation very poorly."
- 4 be in charge of, act on, or dispose of wordnet
- 5 To handle with skill, wield (a tool, weapon etc.). transitive
"It was so much his interest to manage his Protestant subjects."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 watch and direct wordnet
- 7 To succeed at an attempt in spite of difficulty. intransitive
"He managed to climb the tower."
- 8 be successful; achieve a goal wordnet
- 9 To succeed at an attempt in spite of difficulty.; To end up doing something that could or should have been avoided. intransitive, ironic
"She somehow managed to sit on the wet paint."
- 10 carry on or function wordnet
- 11 To achieve (something) without fuss, or without outside help. ambitransitive
"It's a tough job, but I'll manage."
- 12 achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods wordnet
- 13 To manage to say; to say while fighting back embarrassment, laughter, etc. transitive
""That's nice, dear!", she managed."
- 14 succeed in doing, achieving, or producing (something) with the limited or inadequate means available wordnet
- 15 To train (a horse) in the manège; to exercise in graceful or artful action. transitive
- 16 To treat with care; to husband. obsolete, transitive
"[She] […]manages her last half-crown with care, And trudges to the Mall, on foot"
- 17 To bring about; to contrive. obsolete, transitive
"in a town of war, Yet wild, the people's hearts brimful of fear, To manage private and domestic quarrel, In night, and on the court and guard of safety!"
Example
"Can you manage to complete the manuscript by Friday?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "manage"?
Common synonyms include: cope, handle, oversee, supervise, accomplish, accomplish.
How do you use "manage" in a sentence?
Can you manage to complete the manuscript by Friday?
How do you pronounce "manage"?
Pronounced /ˈmæn.ɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
From Early Modern English manage, menage, from Middle English *manage, *menage, from Old French manege (“the handling or training of a horse, horsemanship, riding, maneuvers, proceedings”), probably from Old Italian maneggiare (“to handle, manage, touch, treat”), from Vulgar Latin *manizāre (“handle”), from Latin manus (“hand”) + -izāre (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of manège. Compare typologically English handle; Russian руководи́ть (rukovodítʹ) (< рука́ (ruká)).