Synonyms of manage

manage

verb

ˈma-nij 

1

as in to handle

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently

as usual, she managed the crisis with a minimum of fuss

Synonyms & Similar Words

• handle
• manipulate
• address
• take
• negotiate
• treat
• play
• maneuver
• cope (with)
• field
• hack
• contend (with)
• swing
• grapple (with)
• come to grips with
• regulate
• control
• pull
• have a grip on
• steer
• engineer
• carry out
• get off
• guide
• carry off
• direct
• micromanage
• respond (to)
• finesse
• react (to)
• jockey
• run
• command
• bring off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• botch
• bungle
• fumble
• mishandle
• goof (up)
• louse up
• mess (up)
• scamp
• muff
• foozle

2

as in to supervise

to look after and make decisions about

managed a household and a business simultaneously

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervise
• oversee
• operate
• handle
• regulate
• control
• conduct
• govern
• run
• administer
• keep
• tend
• protect
• direct
• administrate
• guide
• carry on
• superintend
• overlook
• preside (over)
• steer
• watch
• watch over
• steward
• lead
• safeguard
• care (for)
• pilot
• guard
• mind
• micromanage
• stage-manage
• comanage
• codirect

3

as in to cope

to meet one's day-to-day needs

it'll be hard for a few weeks, but we'll manage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cope
• do
• survive
• afford
• get by
• get along
• make ends meet
• get on
• make out
• fare
• shift
• make do
• make shift
• contrive
• scrounge
• fend for oneself
• carry on
• eke out
• last
• squeeze
• scrape (by or through)
• wrest
• wring
• scrape (out)
• swing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fail
• fall short
• collapse
• decline
• flounder
• wane
• fizzle
• slump
• give up
• peter (out)

Synonym Chooser

How is the word manage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of manage are conduct, control, and direct. While all these words mean "to use one's powers to lead, guide, or dominate," manage implies direct handling and manipulating or maneuvering toward a desired result.

manages a meat market

Where would conduct be a reasonable alternative to manage?

The words conduct and manage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conduct implies taking responsibility for the acts and achievements of a group.

conducted negotiations

When is control a more appropriate choice than manage?

In some situations, the words control and manage are roughly equivalent. However, control implies a regulating or restraining in order to keep within bounds or on a course.

controlling his appetite

When can direct be used instead of manage?

The meanings of direct and manage largely overlap; however, direct implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.

directs the store's day-to-day business

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of manage

The rest of the crimes followed the same pattern: Sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., the suspects managed to break open a security gate and the front door to a store before emptying the register. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 July 2025

Cortisol can also manage how your body fat and muscles use glucose. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025

While Ukraine managed to shoot some of them down, likely with the Patriot system, the ones that slipped through caused unimaginable suffering. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 July 2025

The Saltwater Cowboys—fire company members that manage the ponies—are ready to lead the herd, and folks claim their spot, whether in kayaks, on boats, in rafts, wading in the water, and lining the shore, to watch the ponies traverse the channel. —Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 4 July 2025