manhandled

verb

past tense of manhandle
1
as in abused
to abuse physically charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullied
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 manhandled During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss. — James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026 Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026 The $100 million price tag attached to the legal action is to make sure the city takes Brown’s allegations seriously — and ensure no one else is manhandled by the police without cause, Brown’s attorney Derek Sells of the Cochran Firm said. — Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026 Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash. — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026 Did something get squashed en route, then manhandled by Kennedy? — Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026 Boston also struggled with its perimeter shooting (eight made 3-pointers on a season-low-tying 28 attempts) but manhandled the Raptors inside, setting a new franchise record for points in the paint (76) in the play-by-play era. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026 Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith. — Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026 Making the scene even more a spectacle was the fact that Yam Yam was literally being manhandled and dragged out of the castle while doing so. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandled
  1. abused
  2. bullied
  3. attacked
  4. tortured
  5. mauled
  6. ambushed
  7. maltreated
  8. mishandled
Verb
  • Booth said Jake Haro physically abused the children after the investigation.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Several years after his arrest, four former students alleged in a civil complaint that Kester abused and groomed them at various times from 1998 to 2021.
    — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • As Southampton’s Cyle Larin showed in April’s 5-1 thrashing, the defence is susceptible to being bullied physically at times.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Growing up in Martinsville, Virginia, Jesse experienced deep poverty and, Cindy said, was bullied because of it.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullied
Verb
  • Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel attacked the country in February.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi shipping last month, attacked Saudi oil tankers this week, and are threatening to impose tolls, adding urgency to securing the waterway.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • Lebson and Richards ⁠denied that ​allegation, saying that Robert Gilman was held in extremely harsh conditions, tortured and injected with mind-altering drugs by guards, treatment ​that led to his transfer to the civilian hospital.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Prior to Tae-ha’s arrival, Eun-sae was tortured by Sang-gil and his men.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Few fishing experiences rival the rush of easing close to hundreds of seabirds swooping and diving on baitfish being herded and mauled by a school of slashing striped bass.
    — Ken Perrotte, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The two dogs chased the emu, named Barb, down Ravine Street on July 21 and mauled the 160-pound, 6-foot-tall animal to death.
    — Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of mauled
Verb
  • On the day Tran was ambushed, the vehicle circled the area 16 times before the shooting, according to investigators.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Tae-ha, who is in Japan on business for Sang-gil, is ambushed by a bunch of men.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambushed
Verb
  • Canadian researchers found that older adults who were maltreated as children may face a significantly higher risk of cancer decades later.
    — Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The Adams County Health and Human Services Department’s initial assessment indicated that the infant was maltreated, though a final autopsy report is still pending, TMZ reported.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Definition of maltreated
Verb
  • The engineer who had asked the question followed it, triggering a permission change that exposed company data for two hours, though a Meta spokesperson denied earlier reports that user data was mishandled.
    — Tyler Akidau, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Her complaint alleges deputies mishandled a live grenade from a Santa Monica call, brought it to a training center where explosives are banned, and handled it with Lemus, who lacked bomb-squad training.
    — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of mishandled

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Cite this Entry

“Manhandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandled. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of manhandled for Spanish Speakers

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