Manipulate
Manipulate verb - To control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means.
Usage example: the con man would slyly manipulate the emotions of his marks in order to win their sympathy and trust
Play is a synonym for manipulate in control topic. In some cases you can use "Play" instead a verb "Manipulate".
Play
Play verb - To deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently.
Usage example: this is how we're going to play the situation
Manipulate is a synonym for play in control topic. Sometimes you can use "Manipulate" instead a verb "Play", if it concerns topics such as gamble.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- He kidnapped Henry using a Wounded Gazelle Gambit, managed to manipulate and play literally every single character to his own ends, always staying 2 steps ahead of every one of them.
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Obviously, since this play on words doesn't work in English, the translators renamed the latter ability to "ghost" in English, and "trick" has been repurposed for the power to manipulate those objects, simply ayatsuru (manipulate, control) in Japanese.
Source: Video Game / Ghost Trick -
Also, as Terezi points out, she can only manipulate people through mind control, since she's too impatient and reckless to actually play people properly.
Source: Broken Ace
Cite this Source
Play and Manipulate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/manipulate/play
Manipulate & Play. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/manipulate/play>.
Play or Manipulate. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/manipulate/play.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "manipulate" and "play" have occurred on timeline