manipulate

verb

1 the workman manipulated some knobs and levers:

operate, handle, work, control, use, employ, utilize.

2 she used her hands to manipulate the muscles of his back:

massage, rub, knead, feel, palpate.

3 the government tried to manipulate the situation:

exploit, control, influence, use/turn to one's advantage, maneuver, engineer, steer, direct, guide, twist around one's little finger, work, orchestrate, choreograph.

4 they accused him of manipulating the data:

falsify, rig, distort, alter, change, doctor, massage, juggle, tamper with, fiddle with, tinker with, interfere with, misrepresent, fudge, corrupt;

informal cook, fiddle;

British, informal fiddle.