# manifest

/ˈmænəˌfɛst/ (US) · /mˈænɪfˌɛst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/manifest
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to show a quality

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to show a feeling, quality, or symptom clearly.

For teachers: to demonstrate or display a quality or feeling through one's actions or appearance. Transitive; requires a direct object.

- The virus may not manifest any symptoms for several days.
- The patient began to manifest signs of severe respiratory distress shortly after the procedure was completed.

### 2. to appear

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to appear or become easy to see.

For teachers: to become apparent or visible; often used when a problem or physical thing starts to exist.

- The problems in the building started to manifest as cracks in the walls.
- Social tensions often manifest in the form of protests when the government ignores the needs of the working class.

### 3. to will into existence

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal · Slang

to try to make something happen by imagining it and believing it will come true.

For teachers: to use visualization or positive thinking to bring a desired goal into reality. Transitive; common in New Age and social media contexts.

- She says she managed to manifest her dream job by writing it in her journal every day.
- The influencer claimed that anyone could manifest wealth if they simply changed their mindset and focused on abundance.

### 4. obvious

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

easy to see or understand; very clear.

For teachers: clear or obvious to the eye or mind; not hidden or obscure.

- The anger on his face was manifest to everyone in the room.
- The failure of the current economic policy has become manifest even to its most ardent supporters.

### 5. list of goods

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a list of the people or goods being carried on a ship or plane.

For teachers: a document listing the cargo, passengers, and crew of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle for the use of customs and other officials.

- The captain checked the cargo manifest before the ship left the port.
- Customs officials compared the physical contents of the shipping container against the digital manifest provided by the exporter.

### 6. metadata file

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a file that gives information about other files in a computer program.

For teachers: a file containing metadata that describes a group of accompanying files as part of a set or software package.

- The application failed to load because the manifest file was missing.
- The developer updated the manifest to include the new library dependencies required for the version 2.0 release.

## Examples

- The captain checked the passenger manifest before the ship left the port.
- Customs agents compared the physical crates in the warehouse against the shipping manifest to look for missing items.
- The digital manifest provided a real-time inventory of the cargo hold, allowing the logistics team to optimize the unloading process at the busy international terminal.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.