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
-
Carly is cool, calm, controlled, and precise.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
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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As Mars meets resistance from Jupiter, trying to handle everything at once backfires.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
This lightweight nylon bag features handles long enough to sit comfortably on your shoulder, a handy exterior pocket, and a top zipper closure to keep all of your belongings secure.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, college and professional athletes have also been caught trying to manipulate prediction markets as online sports betting has exploded.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
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For decades, people have used tools such as Photoshop to manipulate digital imagery.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
2 May 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
-
This depth helps retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature without restricting airflow.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
2 May 2026
-
The door opened for college athletes to profit from NIL in 2020 after a pair of lawsuits favored Division 1 athletes and the NCAA began regulating it.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Connecticut State Police arrived at the scene and took control of the incident investigation.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
5 May 2026
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The high-profile event raises money for the Met’s Costume Institute, and each year the dress code for the gala takes cues from the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition.—
Beatrice Dupuy,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Micromanage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/micromanage. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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