1
as in negotiated
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 cheated
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal
she'll finagle until she gets exactly what she wants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of finagled
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagled
Verb
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House Democrats largely opted not to support the funding agreement negotiated by their Senate counterparts, with some saying that funding DHS at current levels even for a few days would be inappropriate.—
Toluse Olorunnipa,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
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The deal was negotiated by Mark Ward on behalf of Independent Film Company and Shudder.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Those very few still alive believe to this day that they are being cheated out of Social Security benefits.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Two days after Jamarrien Monroe and his 5-year-old cousin were killed, police arrested Tyreion Nixon-Clark in connection with an unrelated homicide motivated by robbery in which the suspect arranged a meeting that the victim thought was to be a rifle sale, authorities said.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 6,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
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Kimani parked beside a clearing where chairs had been arranged around a fire.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Higgins stole $356,181 through the scheme and reportedly manipulated the company’s accounting records to conceal her crimes, according to court records.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
24 Jan. 2026
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In the alternative hypothesis, the lottery was somehow manipulated.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Hoka boots have a durable and winter-proof mesh upper made mostly of recycled polyester, and a Vibram Megagrip EVA sole engineered to grasp the slickest surfaces.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
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There is a secondary time zone handle included, specifically designed for GMT, and the case and crystal have been engineered to be incredibly thin without sacrificing on performance.—
John Monaco,
InStyle,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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