Definition of WANGLE

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Wangle, a verb of uncertain origin, has been used in its newest sense, "to obtain by sly methods," since at least the early 20th century. Occasionally, one sees "wrangle" used similarly, as in "wrangle a huge salary," but more typically it means "to argue or engage in controversy." Did the "obtain" sense of "wrangle" evolve through confusion with "wangle"? Not exactly. "Wrangle" was used with the meaning "to obtain by arguing or bargaining" as early as 1624, long before "wangle" appeared in the language. The sense had all but disappeared until recent decades, however, and its revival may very well have been influenced by "wangle." The "obtain" sense of "wangle" is currently more common than that of "wrangle," but both are considered standard.

Examples of wangle in a Sentence

He wangled a free ticket to the show. He managed to wangle his way into the party.

Recent Examples on the Web Legendre’s social connections had wangled her a secretarial role in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). — The Economist, "Gertrude Legendre led a charmed life—until her capture by the Nazis," 10 Oct. 2019 Breslow’s family managed to wangle one ticket to Cuba and decided the father should go first. — Jeff Gammage, Philly.com, "History repeats: When America turned away refugees," 9 June 2018 And Begbie (Robert Carlyle) — whose drug of choice has always been violence — has just wangled an appropriately bloody escape from prison. — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, "Review: ‘T2 Trainspotting’: Once Defiantly Wretched, Now Worn Down," 16 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wangle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.