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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski likes to finagle with footwork in his free time, studying and practicing patterns that help him outwit defenders on the basketball court.
—
Sam Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
And somehow that felt easier to finagle than this.
—Samantha Leal, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Save them the struggle of having to finagle with a manual wine bottle opener.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Sep. 2025
Moorjani plays Aruna, the Los Angeles Waves’ incredibly blunt star accountant who can finagle her way around any number of financial hurdles.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Sam Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
And somehow that felt easier to finagle than this.
—Samantha Leal, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Save them the struggle of having to finagle with a manual wine bottle opener.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Sep. 2025
Moorjani plays Aruna, the Los Angeles Waves’ incredibly blunt star accountant who can finagle her way around any number of financial hurdles.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
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But stocks were buoyed by reports that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was willing to negotiate.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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There were no mass demonstrations by the Iranian people against the regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continued to fight even more ferociously, and Khamenei’s death did nothing to bring Iran’s negotiating position onto a more reasonable plane.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported on the cheating epidemic that has overtaken schools and universities as students outsource their assignments to a chat bot.—
Peter Smagorinsky,
AJC.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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An angler competing in a walleye derby on Saskatchewan’s Montreal Lake was kicked out of the ice-fishing tournament Saturday after being accused of cheating.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The academy had been looking for a venue that offered greater control over how the show is staged, including how the audience is arranged and how the room is used for both the broadcast and the live event.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2026
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Trump administration officials are working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an off-ramp to the war in Iran, two senior administration officials told CNN.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Orban started manipulating these grievances, and did so to significantly divide Hungarian society.—
John Shattuck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
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As machines grow more powerful, society will become increasingly effective at shaping the world, while individuals who never learned to think deeply will be easier to manipulate.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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