• (British) IPA: /ˈman.j(ʊ)əl/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈmænjə(wə)l/

manual (plural manuals)

  1. A handbook.
  2. A booklet that instructs on the usage of a particular machine or product.
    The dishwasher isn't working; can you remember where we put the manual?
  3. (military) A drill in the use of weapons, etc.
  4. (Christianity, historical) An old office-book like the modern Roman Catholic ritual.
  5. (music) A keyboard for the hands on a harpsichord, organ, or other musical instrument.
  6. A manual transmission; a gearbox, especially of a motorized vehicle, shifted by the operator.
  7. (by synecdoche) A vehicle with a manual transmission.
  8. A bicycle technique whereby the front wheel is held aloft by the rider, without the use of pedal force.
  9. (medicine, colloquial) Manual measurement of the blood pressure, done with a manual sphygmomanometer.
    do a manual
Synonyms Translations Translations
  • German: Manual
  • Russian: клавиату́ра
  • German: Schaltgetriebe
  • Spanish: manual


  1. Performed with the hands (of an activity).
    • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:
      She gave a wild manual brush to her locks.
  2. Operated by means of the hands (of a machine, device etc.).
  3. (technology) Performed by a human rather than a machine.
    The student manually corrected several errors missed by the spell checker.
Synonyms Antonyms Related terms Translations Noun

manual (plural manuals)

  1. (automotive) Abbreviation of manual transmission#English|manual transmission.
Proper noun
  1. A male given name: a rare spelling variant of Manuel, sometimes considered erroneous.

Offline English dictionary