Wendalyn Nichols, Publishing Manager of the Cambridge Dictionary, said the word manifest had "increased notably in lookups" this year. "Its use widened greatly across all types of media due to events in 2024 and it shows how the meanings of a word can change over time," she said. Dua Lipa told this year of manifesting her headline slot at Glastonbury Festival.

Lexicographers said the term "to manifest" has evolved to be used in the sense of "to imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen". Dr Sander van der Linden, author of The Psychology of Misinformation and Professor of Social Psychology at Cambridge University, cautioned that the idea of manifesting success has no scientific validity.  "Manifesting is what psychologists call 'magical thinking' or the general illusion that specific mental rituals can change the world around us," he said.  "Manifesting gained tremendous popularity during the pandemic on TikTok with billions of views, including the popular 3-6-9 method which calls for writing down your wishes three times in the morning, six times in the afternoon and nine times before bed. This procedure promotes obsessive and compulsive behaviour with no discernible benefits.  But can we really blame people for trying it, when prominent celebrities have been openly 'manifesting' their success? 'Manifesting' wealth, love and power can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment. Think of the dangerous idea that you can cure serious diseases simply by wishing them away. There is good research on the value of positive thinking, self-affirmation, and goal-setting. Believing in yourself, bringing a positive attitude, setting realistic goals and putting in the effort pays off because people are enacting change in the real world. However, it is crucial to understand the difference between the power of positive thinking and moving reality with your mind - the former is healthy, whereas the latter is pseudoscience."