English Reference
verb · adjective · noun

manifest

v. · adj. · n.
US /ˈmænəˌfɛst/ UK /mˈænɪfˌɛst/ man·i·fest UK spelling manifested, manifesting, manifests

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Formal

    v.to show a feeling, quality, or symptom clearly.

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

    Simple

    The virus may not manifest any symptoms for several days.

    In context

    The patient began to manifest signs of severe respiratory distress shortly after the procedure was completed.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Formal

    v.to appear or become easy to see.

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

    Simple

    The problems in the building started to manifest as cracks in the walls.

    In context

    Social tensions often manifest in the form of protests when the government ignores the needs of the working class.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate InformalSlang

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

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

    Simple

    She says she managed to manifest her dream job by writing it in her journal every day.

    In context

    The influencer claimed that anyone could manifest wealth if they simply changed their mindset and focused on abundance.

    actualizevisualize
  4. 04 C1 Advanced Formal

    adj.easy to see or understand; very clear.

    adj.clear or obvious to the eye or mind; not hidden or obscure.

    Simple

    The anger on his face was manifest to everyone in the room.

    In context

    The failure of the current economic policy has become manifest even to its most ardent supporters.

  5. 05 C1 Advanced Technical

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

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

    Simple

    The captain checked the cargo manifest before the ship left the port.

    In context

    Customs officials compared the physical contents of the shipping container against the digital manifest provided by the exporter.

  6. 06 C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

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

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

    Simple

    The application failed to load because the manifest file was missing.

    In context

    The developer updated the manifest to include the new library dependencies required for the version 2.0 release.

However, identifying how this warming manifests regionally remains a key challenge.

Phys.org· 17 Aug 2026

We're looking at organised crime that has manifested because nobody has put it away, nobody has forced it underground," says Glantz.

BBC News· 7 Jun 2026

From Middle English manifest, manifeste, from Latin manifestus, manufestus (“palpable, manifest”), from manus (“hand”) + infestus, participle of infendō (“strike”) (from the root of dēfendō, offendō, etc.), or from Proto-Indo-European *dʰers-. Doublet of manifesto.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *dʰers-
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated