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
The patient wanted to try that instead of attempting to finagle pills.
—
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
The job that his mother finagled for him at a beloved bookstore appears to be a disaster — especially for his manager, Hugo (Rodney Lizcano).
—Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2025
Even for the wealthiest colleges, temporarily upping annual endowment spending could require a bit of finagling.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes, 3 Feb. 2025
Others have been dreading it—and would happily finagle a deal with the universe to skip to some other day four years down the road instead.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
The job that his mother finagled for him at a beloved bookstore appears to be a disaster — especially for his manager, Hugo (Rodney Lizcano).
—Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2025
Even for the wealthiest colleges, temporarily upping annual endowment spending could require a bit of finagling.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes, 3 Feb. 2025
Others have been dreading it—and would happily finagle a deal with the universe to skip to some other day four years down the road instead.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
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Deals like those could get done before the official start time because teams are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents once the NBA Finals are finished.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 July 2025
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Years from now, there may not even be a need for agencies to negotiate and buy TV ad spots.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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President Donald Trump's rapid pullback of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has cost Americans at least $18 billion in higher fees and lost compensation for consumers allegedly cheated by major companies, according to an analysis released Tuesday by two organizations.—
Douglas Gillison,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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But they didn’t get cheated this spring, not with three rousing blasts from the past: Against the Pistons, against the Celtics, against the Pacers.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Attentive staffers will be on hand for towel drops and spritz refills, as well as to help arrange water sports or beach games.—
Cameron Sperance,
Travel + Leisure,
20 June 2025
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Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter has rushed to arrange a commission vote, ratifying it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2025
Verb
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The legislation was driven by concerns that the Chinese government could manipulate content and access sensitive data from American users.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
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Fox agreed two years ago to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million to drop a lawsuit related to the network’s false claims that voting machines were manipulated to help President Biden win the 2020 election.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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