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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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
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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
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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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Building an ultrathin nickelate with atomic precision The team focused on a compound called La₃Ni₂O₇, a nickelate made of nickel and oxygen atoms arranged in layered structures.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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Standard rooms are large by New York City standards, and smartly arranged for maximum floor space.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 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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Burkle twice was involved in attempts to purchase the Kings, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, one of which was engineered in large part by Anderson.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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High interest rates, engineered by the Federal Reserve to combat a burst of inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic, also weighed on the job market in 2025.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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