manual

1 of 2

adjective

man·​u·​al ˈman-yə-wəl How to pronounce manual (audio)
-yəl,
-yü-əl
1
a
: of, relating to, or involving the hands
manual dexterity
b
: worked or done by hand and not by machine
a manual transmission
manual computation
manual indexing
2
: requiring or using physical skill and energy
manual labor
manual workers

manual

2 of 2

noun

1
: a book that is conveniently handled
especially : handbook
an instruction manual
2
: the prescribed movements in the handling of a weapon or other military item during a drill or ceremony
the manual of arms
3
a
: a keyboard for the hands
specifically : one of the several keyboards of an organ or harpsichord that controls a separate division of the instrument
b
: a device or apparatus intended for manual operation
c
: an automobile with a manual transmission
Is your car a manual or an automatic?

called also standard

Examples of manual in a Sentence

Adjective She spent the summer doing manual labor on her uncle's farm. He has a collection of old-fashioned manual typewriters. Noun Here's the owner's manual of your new car. The computer program comes with a user's manual. We lost the instruction manual and couldn't put our bikes together. Please refer to the training manual if you have any questions about your job. Is your car a manual or an automatic?
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Initially, cryptocurrency transactions involved manual commands in terminals, but the evolution of user interfaces and the emergence of exchanges made digital assets more accessible. Tyler Shepherd, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024 Gua Sha tools allow for lymphatic drainage as with other tools in this category, but their specific shape allows for manual contouring and massaging. Isabella Ubaldi, Health, 20 Mar. 2024 Take advantage of your phone's manual exposure by sliding your finger up or down to darken or lighten the image. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2024 The set comes with two plastic pucks, two plastic strikers, and two manual scorers for friendly competition between friends or siblings. Deanna McCormack, Parents, 19 Mar. 2024 Previous collections of data outputs have forced scientific agencies to rely on encrypted instruments, vendor-specific tools, and manual annotations that often lack intelligible APIs and force R&D teams to learn and create esoteric models to access data fully. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Now, as further required by state law, the registrar staff will begin a manual count of all those forms, one by one, to see if the threshold of valid signatures was met by the recall campaign. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 But our manual dexterity isn’t determined by our hand anatomy alone. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 As a worker in a bag factory, Knight decided that there must be a more efficient way to make the bags than the long manual process. Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
That includes leaning on tools like Google Chat with channels dedicated to specific teams and projects, as well as a robust intranet system that organizes information about different company policies including how-to manuals and training materials. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Sophia says Cutler’s behavior followed the 764 grooming manual to the letter. Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024 Before purchasing a stand mixer, McDowell recommends reading the manual, which is often available online. Laura Denby, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2024 His classic book, Winning Ugly, is a field manual for waging mental warfare on the court. Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024 Bonus for the quick tour of my room, which didn’t require a manual to operate. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 The company, according to the manual, notes it won’t be held liable for damages sustained to the vehicle if user’s failed to abide by those guides. Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024 However, as Oxford Economics points out, 40% of procurement leaders say their departments are still bound by their manual, low-value tasks due to the need to work with legacy systems. Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 At the same time, Tesla user manuals cite a long list of conditions under which Full Self-Driving may not function properly, including narrow roads with oncoming cars and curvy roads. Talia Trackim, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English manuel, from Anglo-French, from Latin manualis, from manus hand; akin to Old English mund hand and perhaps to Greek marē hand

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of manual was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near manual

Cite this Entry

“Manual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manual. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

manual

1 of 2 adjective
man·​u·​al ˈman-yə(-wə)l How to pronounce manual (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or involving the hands
manual skill
2
: worked or operated by hand
a car with a manual transmission
3
: requiring or using physical skill and energy
manual labor
manually
adverb

manual

2 of 2 noun
1
: a small book
especially : handbook
2
: the set movements in the handling of a weapon during a military drill
the manual of arms
Etymology

Adjective

Middle English manuel "relating to the hands, manual," from early French manuel (same meaning), from Latin manualis (same meaning), from manus "hand" — related to manage, maneuver, manufacture see Word History at maneuver

Medical Definition

manual

adjective
man·​u·​al ˈman-yə(-wə)l How to pronounce manual (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or involving the hands
manual dexterity
b
: done or performed by hand and not by machine
manual removal of nits and liceJerome Potts
2
: using signs and the manual alphabet in teaching the deaf compare oral sense 2

Legal Definition

manual

adjective
man·​u·​al ˈman-yə-wəl How to pronounce manual (audio)
: involving or as if involving use of the hands
specifically : of, relating to, or being a gift of a corporeal movable object that is actually delivered
a manual donation
manually adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on manual

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