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
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
This whole thing seems staged, planned, finagled, massaged, bamboozled, lollygagged, and all sorts of other long, silly-sounding words that may not necessarily apply to this situation.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Can’t finagle a flight to Hawaii right now?
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
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
This whole thing seems staged, planned, finagled, massaged, bamboozled, lollygagged, and all sorts of other long, silly-sounding words that may not necessarily apply to this situation.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Can’t finagle a flight to Hawaii right now?
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
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The coalition parties together hold only 66 of the lower house of parliament’s 150 seats, so Jetten will have to negotiate with opposition lawmakers to find support for every piece of legislation his government wants to pass.—
Mike Corder,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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Centrist leaders in the United Kingdom, France and Germany resist spending a larger percentage of their strained budgets defending against a Russian threat that their far-right populist opponents might think can be easily negotiated away.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lægreid wasn’t the only athlete caught up in a cheating scandal, however.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
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The seemingly quaint and cordial sport of curling was rocked by cheating allegations during the Winter Games.—
Sallee Ann Harrison,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The under-$30 wreath features silk daisies, eucalyptus leaves, jasmine, lavender, wildflowers, and delicate berry clusters arranged on a sturdy 24-inch frame for a pop of color that feels cheerful, not overdone.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Feb. 2026
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While there isn’t an on-site salon, the team at Asaya can arrange in-room hair styling, nail, or makeup services upon request.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fix it Melissa Kingston, who serves as City Plan Commissioner for District 14, which includes parts of downtown and Uptown, said Saturday the report was deliberately manipulated to justify demolition rather than preservation.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
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Bills in the House and Senate would ban attempts to manipulate or alter the weather, like cloud seeding.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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