MANHANDLE Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

manhandle

verb

ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl

Definition of manhandle

as in to abuse

to abuse physically charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to bully

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon if you see anyone manhandling a child, you should call the authorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 manhandle Accurso manhandles the omelet, layering the salad on top before folding it in half. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026 Valley View won its first game but was manhandled by Searcy last week. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026 The Los Angeles Police Department released a video that shows officers at the Valley jail manhandle an uncooperative inmate who died after he was left handcuffed with a bag over his head while laying prone on the bunk in his cell. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 New England lost in demoralizing fashion to the Seahawks last February, 29-13, as the Seattle defense manhandled the Patriots’ offense. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for manhandle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandle

Verb

The charges come with additional special allegations, around the victim’s vulnerability and that Tapia abused a trustworthy position.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Early American corporate charters, after all, were granted for limited public purposes and could be revoked when abused.

— Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

James McAvoy recalls his first day on the set of Band of Brothers and says a co-star bullied him.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Musk’s forthright, crusty dad Errol sounds almost proud that something was bullied out of his son, but the movie avoids filling out that traumatic childhood.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bully

Verb

Four days after Ismail was attacked, 63-year-old swimmer Greg O’Neill was fatally mauled by a shark.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
At the time, Guilfoyle was an assistant DA in San Francisco prosecuting a high-profile dog-mauling case and making the rounds on cable news.

— Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of maul

Verb

Of course, parents should intervene when a coach is abusive or a child is genuinely being mistreated.

— Jonathan Alpert OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Neighbors said the man began kicking and mistreating the dog before eventually luring the husky away from the yard with food.

— Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of mistreat

Verb

In January, the FBI raided a Post reporter’s home, as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of mishandling sensitive national security information.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
That law provided a narrow path to freedom if Galloway could find crucial new evidence or prove that previous lawyers had mishandled the case.

— Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of mishandle

Verb

But critics have warned the gloves will give ICE another weapon to intimidate and brutalize people even as the agency is under fire for excessive force that has left a trail of deaths and injuries across the nation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Allegations of abuse, inmates being brutalized by jailers, and dire conditions have plagued the facility for years, leading some county leaders, former sheriffs and civil rights advocates to call for the jail to be closed.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of brutalize

Verb

Monday's attack came a day after a Russian drone struck the village of Pisochyn in the Kharkiv district, killing three people and injuring nine others, including children, according to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
The script was about a last draft-pick NFL player who gets injured on his very first play and returns home to Alaska to become a fisherman.

— Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of injure

Browse Nearby Words

mangy

manhandle

manhandled

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Style

“Manhandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandle. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of manhandle

verb

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