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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Last year, Canada signed a defense cooperation agreement with the European Union and negotiated a pact that allowed Canadian defense firms to tap into the EU’s $170 billion loan program meant to spur military modernization.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Rather than raze the city days before it was recovered by the Allied forces, Choltitz went rogue, negotiated a truce, and surrendered the city.—
Sally Susman,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After the Astros cheated to win the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers didn’t face them again until 2020.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
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Bondi forgave a crime that had put people’s lives at risk and cheated the government of vaccine doses that could have been given to others.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Inside, there are three concentric circles of chairs arranged on a red carpet and, overhead, a white globe resembling a hot-air balloon.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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According to some of the documents, witnesses described a system where Maxwell and Epstein arranged domestic and international travel, provided logistical support for passports, and used modeling fronts to recruit foreign nationals.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
30 Jan. 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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By providing these initial nuclear-grade lithium salts engineered for reactor-grade performance, EnergyX is addressing a massive supply gap that currently leaves national laboratories and private fusion developers without the volumes of material necessary for full-scale commercialization.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
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The suits for Artemis 2, therefore, are engineered to protect the astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft, in case cabin pressure is lost or the life-support features integrated into the suit are needed.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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