as in to control
chiefly US
to try to oversee all the small parts of (something, such as an activity) in a way that is usually not wanted or that causes problems
He micromanaged every detail of the budget.
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Recent Examples of micromanage
As the clock counts down to Rachel and Nicky’s wedding, which is being micromanaged by Nicky’s sister Portia (Gus Birney), the Cunningham family reveals a few secrets of their own.
—
Sam Reed, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2026
Central leadership must establish shared goals and standards for outcomes rather than attempting to micromanage operations.
—Lawrence Rosenberg, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Instead of micromanaging every finger, humans provide high-level input while the AI handles coordination.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Elite athletes are not consciously micromanaging each action.
—David Van Den Heever, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for micromanage
Sam Reed, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2026
Central leadership must establish shared goals and standards for outcomes rather than attempting to micromanage operations.
—Lawrence Rosenberg, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Instead of micromanaging every finger, humans provide high-level input while the AI handles coordination.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Elite athletes are not consciously micromanaging each action.
—David Van Den Heever, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for micromanage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for micromanage
Verb
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Carly is cool, calm, controlled, and precise.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Yura’s nemeses, who are part of her elderly father’s underwater court, seem to be after her magical flute, an ancient device that controls their kingdom’s dragon.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The recruitment has been part of that — Leipzig bought well and sold the players who needed to leave — but Werner has handled a young squad particularly well, minimising the volatility that was such a feature of their football last season.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The lieutenant who handled his Skelly conference wrote that Webster accepted full responsibility for his actions and apologized.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But there is a point where the prediction shapes and manipulates the actual outcome.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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Bronze Age symbolizes a time of change Bronze, a raw material, was skillfully manipulated to create objects that not only carried weight but also meaning.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The whistleblower complaint was forwarded to ARTnews in the form of emails from July 2025 and December 2025, both of which were addressed to, among others, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and United States Attorney for the Southern District of California Adam Gordon.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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The king later delivered a rare address to a joint session of Congress, marking the second time a British monarch has ever addressed Congress.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Despite attempts to negotiate the Strait of Hormuz’s reopening during an ongoing ceasefire, the narrow waterway remains shut to virtually all ship traffic.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Olthof Homes successfully challenged a $100,000 penalty levied by the town in the Indiana Court of Appeals, so a lower fine was negotiated between the two parties.—
Amy Lavalley,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Staff are on hand 24 hours a day to supervise crafts and games, water sports, reef fishing, cookery classes, crab hunts, and marine biologist excursions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
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Also, the researchers sometimes caught the Claudes trying to cheat by simply instructing the strong model directly rather than figuring out ways to get the weak teacher to supervise the strong model.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These layers and features work together to pull heat away from the body, regulate temperature throughout the night and promote constant airflow rather than trapping warmth.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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They’re regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to ensure proper safeguards are in place to prevent microscopic cement particles from causing health problems in nearby residents.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Fenton game is one of the core memories that Jacob will take with him from his time at South Elgin.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Junior Caminero singled, and manager Kevin Cash took somewhat of a gamble by taking out his top slugger to Richie Palacios could pinch run.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Micromanage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/micromanage. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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