What part of speech is “manipulate”

manipulate is a verb used to describe the action of skilfully using one's hands to perform a task or to control a situation. It can also be used to describe the action of controlling or influencing something with an ulterior motive. It is often used to describe a person's ability to artfully change a situation to their advantage.

1. Jim had to manipulate the wires to get the power back on.

2. Mary tried to manipulate the jury to find her innocent.

3. We are trying to manipulate the data to get more accurate results.