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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The residents and owners are negotiating a settlement agreement where residents receive compensation for moving off the property by a certain date, the attorneys said.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
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The only problem is, negotiating and understanding the subsequent paradoxes — which writer/director Shane Carruth made little effort to simplify — requires a PhD in high-level physics.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So those Santa Ana constituents would be cheated out of services if the money remained solely in the First District.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
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But the people trying to cheat their way into benefits, Cooper said, are largely not the ones attending survivors’ conferences.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From his first run with the Academy Awards arranging team in 2008, Walden was hooked; the job seamlessly blended his favorite parts about film scoring and classical composing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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In this model, the debt consolidation program combines multiple debts — typically high-rate credit card balances — into a single monthly obligation, often through a personal loan arranged by a partner lender or debt relief company.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But there was also outside criticism that the Heat manipulated the game to get Adebayo to 83 points on Tuesday, with the Heat intentionally missing a free throw and committing at least one intentional foul in the final minutes to get Adebayo extra possessions down the stretch of the game.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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Today, however, too many publications seek to manipulate or outright cover up stories that shed a negative light on their preferred party.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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