manhandle

verb

man·​han·​dle ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl How to pronounce manhandle (audio)
manhandled; manhandling; manhandles

transitive verb

1
: to handle roughly
2
: to move or manage by human force
manhandled the posts into place

Examples of manhandle in a Sentence

They manhandled the heavy boxes onto the truck. She manhandled the posts into place. He was manhandling the boy. He says he was manhandled by the police.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Iris ends up getting manhandled a little, but at least no one is killed. Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 July 2024 This game got a lot more interesting after Servite manhandled JSerra 20-7 last week. Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 9 Oct. 2024 Weekends are the worst time to shop, as the crush of customers quickly pick over, manhandling all the way, each and every bin in the veggie department. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024 For almost half of the show’s 90 minutes, Durand stands upright and stone-still in a coffin, his body manhandled and danced around, posed and prodded, leered at and leaned on. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for manhandle 

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of manhandle was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near manhandle

Cite this Entry

“Manhandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manhandle. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

manhandle

verb
man·​han·​dle ˈman-ˌhan-dᵊl How to pronounce manhandle (audio)
1
: to handle roughly
2
: to move or manage by human force

More from Merriam-Webster on manhandle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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