manifests

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular present of manifest.

   The disorder manifests differently in each patient.

   Resentment often manifests as silence rather than open conflict.

   Note

   Both constructions of the verb appear in this form. Used intransitively, it means something shows up or reveals itself: a disorder manifests differently, resentment manifests as silence. Used transitively, it takes an object and means to display it, often reflexively, as in it manifests itself. A slang use means willing something into existence (she manifests a new job), and it is best kept out of formal writing. A narrower transitive use belongs to shipping, where to manifest goods is to declare them at customs.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of manifest.

   Customs officers cross-checked the ship's manifests against the containers on deck.

   The airline keeps its passenger manifests on file for several years.

   Note

   Two working nouns share this plural: the list of passengers and goods carried by a ship, aircraft or truck, and the computer file that describes other files. The older meaning of a public declaration is obsolete; today that would be a manifesto. The same spelling is also the present-tense verb, and the two meet at customs, where a shipper manifests cargo by declaring it on the manifests themselves.

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