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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
San Diego and its world-famous zoo have negotiated a 52-year extension of their lease that includes a new $3 million annual payment to the city and an equal split of parking revenue.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The deal was negotiated by Simon Gillis and Laura Mazzola, Head of Business & Legal Affairs (UK), on behalf of See-Saw and Sheila David of Catapult Rights Limited on behalf of Dr Grant.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some people like to vote on election day, said Dianne Clinkscale from Dallas, arguing that the county’s voters got cheated out their right on to vote.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Visitors to the sites at Independence Park were cheated when they were cut off from facts that enable us to imagine ourselves in the lives of those who lived and worked there.—
Carol Quillen,
Time,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bunk beds are arranged side-by-side for up to four families, frequently putting parents with young children in close quarters.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Bunk beds are arranged side-by-side for up to four families, frequently putting parents with young children in close quarters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One of the images – which was flagged during a CNN check as being potentially AI-manipulated – showed the girl, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and in her early teens, firing a sniper rifle.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The boarding crew noticed panels containing the vessel’s bilge pump were manipulated, raising suspicion it was being used for smuggling, the complaint states.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
We were not meant to walk on hard surfaces and aetrex orthotics are engineered to fill in all the spaces between your foot, and the ground to give you complete comfort and relieve foot and back pain.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
How capitalism engineered the reading crisis.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
