The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Manage \Man"age\, n. [F. man[`e]ge, It. maneggio, fr. maneggiare
   to manage, fr. L. manushand. Perhaps somewhat influenced by
   F. m['e]nage housekeeping, OF. mesnage, akin to E. mansion.
   See Manual, and cf. Manege.]
   The handling or government of anything, but esp. of a horse;
   management; administration. See Manege. [Obs.]
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         Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions,
         embrace more than they can hold.         --Bacon.
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         Down, down I come; like glistering Phaethon
         Wanting the manage of unruly jades. --Shak.
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         The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl.  --Shak.
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   Note: This word, in its limited sense of management of a
         horse, has been displaced by manege; in its more
         general meaning, by management.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Manage \Man"age\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Managed; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Managing.] [From Manage, n.]
   1. To have under control and direction; to conduct; to guide;
      to administer; to treat; to handle.
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            Long tubes are cumbersome, and scarce to be easily
            managed.                              --Sir I.
                                                  Newton.
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            What wars Imanage, and what wreaths I gain. --Prior.
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   2. Hence, Esp.: to guide by careful or delicate treatment; to
      wield with address; to make subservient by artful conduct;
      to bring around cunningly to one's plans.
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            It was so much his interest to manage his Protestant
            subjects.                             --Addison.
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            It was not her humor to manage those over whom she
            had gained an ascendant.              --Bp. Hurd.
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   3. To train in the manege, as a horse; to exercise in
      graceful or artful action.
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   4. To treat with care; to husband. --Dryden.
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   5. To bring about; to contrive. --Shak.
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   Syn: To direct; govern; control; wield; order; contrive;
        concert; conduct; transact.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Manage \Man"age\, v. i.
   To direct affairs; to carry on business or affairs; to
   administer.
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         Leave them to manage for thee.           --Dryden.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

manage
    v 1: be successful; achieve a goal; "She succeeded in persuading
         us all"; "I managed to carry the box upstairs"; "She pulled
         it off, even though we never thought her capable of it";
         "The pianist negociated the difficult runs" [syn: pull
         off, negociate, bring off, carry off, manage]
         [ant: fail]
    2: be in charge of, act on, or dispose of; "I can deal with this
       crew of workers"; "This blender can't handle nuts"; "She
       managed her parents' affairs after they got too old" [syn:
       manage, deal, care, handle]
    3: come to terms with; "We got by on just a gallon of gas";
       "They made do on half a loaf of bread every day" [syn:
       cope, get by, make out, make do, contend,
       grapple, deal, manage]
    4: watch and direct; "Who is overseeing this project?" [syn:
       oversee, supervise, superintend, manage]
    5: achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods
       [syn: wangle, finagle, manage]
    6: carry on or function; "We could do with a little more help
       around here" [syn: do, manage]
    7: handle effectively; "The burglar wielded an axe"; "The young
       violinist didn't manage her bow very well" [syn: wield,
       handle, manage]