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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The county’s risk-assessment attorneys had negotiated a settlement for about $6 million that would have resolved all of the cases, but the Board of Supervisors rejected it in August 2021 and hired Sheppard-Mullin to defend the county.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
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The deal was negotiated between Frank Jaffe from Altered Innocence and Monica Ciarli from Minerva Pictures.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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In Lagos, sourcing a sizable Uber for luggage can be tricky; transport to and from the airport can be arranged at a (costly) premium.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Mar. 2026
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Snider arranged and paid for a nude photoshoot that helped Stratten get noticed by Playboy at age 18.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Easter changes date every year, and the blooms on sale are carefully manipulated to bloom on time.—
Becky Wern,
Florida Times-Union,
7 Mar. 2026
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In the lab setting, various atmospheric variables can be precisely manipulated to closely understand the phenomenon.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Down 79-67, Johnson and Jokic engineered a 9-0 run highlighted by a Jokic 4-point play, interception and fast-break dunk in quick succession.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
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In the very homespun, letterman-sweater kind of town that is Lincoln, Nebraska’s basketball resurrection has been appropriately engineered by Hoiberg & Son.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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