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
For years, job hoppers could finagle higher pay in new roles.
—
Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
This period comedy set in England in the 1930s stars Ben Radcliffe as a thief who swindles his way into a hall boy position at posh Fackham Hall, only to hook up with the daughter of the house and finagle his way into a position of privilege.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Riders who might like more oomph aboard Galacticoaster should finagle seats on the back row, which experiences a touch more whip action.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
Other songs are less terminally online and more reminiscent of finagling fake IDs and getting blitzed on the LES.
—Lydia Wei, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
This period comedy set in England in the 1930s stars Ben Radcliffe as a thief who swindles his way into a hall boy position at posh Fackham Hall, only to hook up with the daughter of the house and finagle his way into a position of privilege.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Riders who might like more oomph aboard Galacticoaster should finagle seats on the back row, which experiences a touch more whip action.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
Other songs are less terminally online and more reminiscent of finagling fake IDs and getting blitzed on the LES.
—Lydia Wei, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
-
There’s a lot of ways to negotiate.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
-
While Pritzker and state lawmakers have been negotiating on legislation to provide the Bears with property tax breaks for a stadium in Arlington Heights, Johnson has continued to push to keep the Bears in Chicago.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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But a subtler disruption is occurring underneath the cheating concerns and efficiency metrics.—
Shannon McKeen,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Saints tried to cheat to get the win, but referee Charles Robinson caught him and stopped his count.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Soon, survey crews showed up, bulldozers were spotted along dusty roads, and the Army Corps of Engineers arranged private meetings.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
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The spa There’s no spa, but morning yoga and pilates classes are hosted on the rooftop and the hotel can help arrange in-room massage treatments.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In most cases, similar to engine controls, this climate control system can be checked for codes and the various modes manipulated with a scan tool.—
John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs And Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
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This likely created new evolutionary pressure for specialized hand use during tasks such as carrying objects, manipulating tools, or gesturing.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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