manhandle

present singular third person manhandles · participle present manhandling · participle past manhandled · past manhandled · alternative man-handle

1. transitivenauticalTo move something heavy by force of men, without aid of levers, pulleys, machine, or tackles.

   I see him—Tom—on horse-block standing, Trumpet at mouth, thrown up all amain, An elephant's bugle, vociferous demanding Of topmen aloft in the hurricane of rain, "Letting that sail there your faces flog? Manhandle it, men, and you'll get the good grog!"

   1876, Herman Melville, Bridegroom Dick

2. transitiveTo assault or beat up a person.

   The polls were guarded by bullies who did not hesitate at command to manhandle any decent citizen indicated by the local leaders.

   1918, Stewart Edward White, chapter 13, in The Forty-Niners, page 177

   Synonyms: rough up

3. transitiveTo mishandle; to handle roughly; to mangle.

   She yells at people who manhandle the tomatoes or break the beans.

   1996 April 21, Barbara Stewart, “Another Harvest: One Farm, One Life”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 Nov 2012

   1 more example

   Britain’s most senior police chief defied pressure to resign as she dismissed “armchair” critics amid widespread outrage over officers manhandling women who were mourning the killing of Sarah Everard.

   2021 March 14, Vikram Dodd, Aamna Mohdin, Aubrey Allegretti, “Cressida Dick refuses to quit over vigil policing and dismisses 'armchair critics'”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: mistreat, maltreat, maul

4. transitiveTo control (a machine, vehicle, situation, etc.) by means of physical strength.

   Riders who succeed on this terrain are able to manhandle their bike as it rattles over the bumps.

   2010 July 3, Juliet Macur, “Riders Gird for Four Challenging, Engrossing Stages of the Tour”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 Nov 2012