1
as in negotiating
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 cheating
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 finagling
Other songs are less terminally online and more reminiscent of finagling fake IDs and getting blitzed on the LES.
—
Lydia Wei, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Lydia Wei, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagling
Verb
-
They are being hit so hard, anybody would be negotiating.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The Melreese referendum passed with about 60 percent support from Miami voters in November 2018, allowing the city and Inter Miami to begin negotiating a lease agreement.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An angler competing in a walleye derby on Saskatchewan’s Montreal Lake was kicked out of the ice-fishing tournament Saturday after being accused of cheating.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Last year, a dozen people were charged with using and selling a smog-check cheating device.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One of her alternate personalities — the cold and calculating Samantha — joins law enforcement to pursue her father’s killers, while other identities begin to surface with their own motives, seducing and manipulating powerful men as Sylvia’s search for justice veers into vengeance.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Adrian Maclean, 52, of Lisbon was arrested twice in connection with an embezzlement scheme police say involved manipulating records in the Hebron Tax Collector’s Office, according to Connecticut State Police.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But arranging spheres becomes significantly more complex in higher dimensions, which allow for more arrangements and symmetries.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Unbeknownst to Audrey, her cousin had secretly coordinated with several of her closest friends, arranging surprise appearances on the plane and at their destination.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But when some sly maneuvering on his part gets his photo and name in the tabloids as a Bond frontrunner, the chaos that follows takes over the days leading up to Eid — the most important holiday of the year for his British Pakistani family.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Most Eagle Creek luggage products feature two wheels instead of four, which can cause them to tip when the user is not holding them upright and can make maneuvering through airports difficult.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The feds, meanwhile, haven’t gotten around to re-engineering Glen Canyon Dam or creating a bypass around it that would enable the water to keep flowing.—
Jonathan Thompson,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Gorman had won praise for engineering a smooth succession at Morgan Stanley and has done so at Disney.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Once production had concluded on the first season, Ingelsby and Ruffalo felt there was still more to explore with his character and began plotting a second season arc.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
-
There were no allegations in the complaint that Holmes was actually plotting any violence.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagling. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
