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
In Europe with friends, Reed finagled his way into the Venice Film Festival in 1965 and interviewed Buster Keaton and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
—
Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
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
Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagled
Verb
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The building project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
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Following the end of the lease, the city of Escondido would regain ownership of the space or a new lease could be negotiated.—
Frankie Rowley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
People are robbed, assaulted and cheated.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
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That does not prove every student cheated.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
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There was Asher Durand, master of the winsome glade; John Frederick Kensett, poet of still waters; and, above all, Thomas Cole, the philosopher-king of landscape, with whom an 18-year-old Church arranged to study privately.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
This meal was arranged like weather.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Benchmaxing, by contrast, is about the structural conditions under which the entire industry evaluates itself—and, the research argues, those conditions are routinely manipulated or ignored.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
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With enough optimization and intervention, their argument goes, the body can be manipulated into becoming fully knowable, mastered, perfect.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The proprietary filtration system is specifically engineered to remove impurities, chlorine, harmful chemicals and heavy metals from your water.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
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The hull and superstructure were engineered specifically to support the propulsion system, with designs that reduce energy consumption while improving performance and comfort.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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