'Manifest' is Cambridge Dictionary's 2024 word of the year, because maybe the universe listens

Cambridge Dictionary has announced its word of the year for 2024: "manifest." This 600-year-old term has gained renewed popularity, driven by figures like Olympian Simone Biles, singer Dua Lipa, and countless individuals on social media who associate it with turning dreams into reality.

As a verb, "manifest" refers to using techniques such as visualization and affirmation to "imagine achieving something you want, believing that doing so will make it more likely to happen," the dictionary explains. Historically tied to self-help communities, the term entered mainstream usage this year, with Biles crediting manifestation for her success at the Paris Olympics and Dua Lipa discussing how she envisioned headlining the Glastonbury music festival.

"If you set an intention and think about it every single day of your life... For me, Glastonbury, for example, when I first started making music, I dreamed about the day I’d get asked to headline," Lipa said during an interview earlier this year.

Manifesting in Social Media and Wellness

The concept has also seen a rise in popularity among social media users and influencers, fueled by the booming global wellness industry. On platforms like TikTok, over 1.6 million videos are tagged with #manifesting, showcasing methods and stories of personal success.

This year alone, "manifest" was searched more than 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website. Wendalyn Nichols, publishing manager for Cambridge Dictionary, explained its selection as the word of the year:

"When choosing our Word of the Year, we look at user data, cultural relevance, and language evolution. 'Manifest' stood out because of its spike in lookups, its broad use across media, and its evolving meanings."

Origins and Evolution

Derived from Latin and French, "manifest" originally meant "easily noticed or obvious" as an adjective and later evolved into a verb meaning "to show something clearly." Its earliest use in English dates back to 1380 in Geoffrey Chaucer's Boece.

Today, influencers and athletes alike embrace the term. Mindset coaches and content creators share techniques for manifestation on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Athletes, including marathon swimmer Ivan Puskovitch, have also credited visualization and affirmation for achieving their goals. "I’ve been writing it down, trying to physically, verbally, and visually manifest it," Puskovitch said in a February interview.

Context of the Year’s Top Words

"Manifest" joins other notable words like "brat," chosen as Collins Dictionary’s word of the year for 2024, inspired by a popular album and lifestyle. Meanwhile, Oxford Dictionary’s shortlist for 2024 includes terms like "brain rot," "lore," and "romantasy," with the final announcement still pending.

Last year, the focus was on "rizz" (Oxford) and "hallucinate" (Cambridge), reflecting trends in style, attraction, and the rise of artificial intelligence. "Manifest" continues this tradition by capturing a concept deeply rooted in self-empowerment and societal aspiration.