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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Recent Examples of finagle
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
Ryan O’Donnell, the interim executive director at Data for Progress, emphasized the overall finding that the electorate did not want Trump to finagle a third term.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
On Sunday, August 10, the JoBros kicked off their Jonas20 tour in New Jersey, with Nick telling the audience that after Joe landed a lead role in the Disney Channel Original Movie, their dad finagled a way for Kevin and Nick to get parts as well.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
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
Ryan O’Donnell, the interim executive director at Data for Progress, emphasized the overall finding that the electorate did not want Trump to finagle a third term.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
On Sunday, August 10, the JoBros kicked off their Jonas20 tour in New Jersey, with Nick telling the audience that after Joe landed a lead role in the Disney Channel Original Movie, their dad finagled a way for Kevin and Nick to get parts as well.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
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Suffolk County acting Supreme Court Justice Joseph Farneti held off on ruling so both sides could negotiate, said Vincent Toomey, a lawyer for the Village of Sag Harbor.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
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This is the first time in Medicare’s history that the program has directly negotiated drug prices.—
Allison Palmer
March 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Intellectually impaired athletes have been sidelined from the Winter Paralympics for more than two decades following a major cheating scandal.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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When doing that, they‘ve made it to the World Series once, losing to the cheating Houston Astros.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The partnership formed only after Wimbledon, arranged through Tien’s agent, despite the two having lived in the same Southern California tennis orbit for years without ever meeting.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brick villas arranged in clusters have rooms in browns and creams; most come with balconies facing the Red Sea.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Easter changes date every year, and the blooms on sale are carefully manipulated to bloom on time.—
Becky Wern,
Florida Times-Union,
7 Mar. 2026
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The most fantastical parts of the movie retain some of their power because Sher and Gyllenhaal subtly manipulate aspect ratio changes and a vertical growth across the film.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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