1
as in to negotiate
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
let me look at my schedule and see if I can't finagle a visit to the museum
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2
as in to cheat
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal
she'll finagle until she gets exactly what she wants
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of finagle
Having finagled an invite from Prater’s steely assistant, Charley (Uma Thurman, sporting an asymmetrical bob and a disgusted glower), Dexter infiltrates the group looking for villains to bring to his kill table.
—
EW.com, 10 July 2025
This, too: though praising FIFA for anything requires pinching one’s nose, the poohbahs were right to finagle Inter Miami into the tournament.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2025
Plus, there are only so many shenanigans F1 will tolerate from one driver trying to finagle the race outcome.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 17 June 2025
In the concluding moments of the finale, Sofia receives a letter from Selina, providing her with a glimmer of hope after Oz finagled her readmittance to Arkham.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
EW.com, 10 July 2025
This, too: though praising FIFA for anything requires pinching one’s nose, the poohbahs were right to finagle Inter Miami into the tournament.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2025
Plus, there are only so many shenanigans F1 will tolerate from one driver trying to finagle the race outcome.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 17 June 2025
In the concluding moments of the finale, Sofia receives a letter from Selina, providing her with a glimmer of hope after Oz finagled her readmittance to Arkham.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
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Its Office for Civil Rights investigates allegations at schools and negotiates corrective actions.—
Fred Clasen-Kelly,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Looking forward, 185 countries are negotiating a global plastics treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution by 2040, and to promote a closed loop approach, phasing out unnecessary plastics and encouraging the use of sustainable alternatives.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Student use of artificial intelligence has become so prevalent, high school and college educators say, that to assign writing outside of the classroom is like asking students to cheat.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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There are things worse than cheating.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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North was convicted in 1989 on three felony charges for helping to arrange the illicit sale of weapons to Iran and divert the proceeds to fund a secret war against anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Wegovy injection pens arranged in Waterbury, Vermont, US, on Monday, April 28, 2025.—
Karen Gilchrist,Katrina Bishop,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When writers see and manipulate structure, words become poetry.—
Rebecca Coffey,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Cyrus was quick to defend herself, implying her words had been manipulated by the Times.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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