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
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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
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Recent Examples of finagling
Try finagling these parts out, or read the manual for your model to see if this is an option.
—
Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
That's a reasonable take, but getting to the point of expanding the postseason once again is going to take some finagling at this time.
—
Trey Wallace Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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
Natalia Gonzalez Blanco Serrano,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
That's a reasonable take, but getting to the point of expanding the postseason once again is going to take some finagling at this time.
—
Trey Wallace Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagling
Verb
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Twice already, in November of 2025 and February of this year, the seven states involved in re-negotiating water rights and use along with the 100-year old treaty kicked the can down the road and failed to come to an agreement on water sharing.
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Now lawmakers and Newsom are negotiating further cuts.
Verb
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Either way, Angela’s slip is definitely showing in terms of behind-the-scenes messiness (seriously, enough is enough with the cheating stories!
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Everybody says Democrats are cheating!
Verb
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But Swedish intelligence recently alleged the country was manipulating economic data and that the true inflation rate could be much higher, perhaps as high as 15%.
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Fears of government officials manipulating world events – including the Iran war – to make a quick buck.
Verb
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Groff, who worked for Epstein for nearly two decades, was a central point-person in arranging the bookings with Amex, documents released by the Justice Department earlier this year indicated.
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The libraries that spent two years arguing that AI companies could not take their work without paying are now arranging to be paid for appearing inside the products built on top of them.
Verb
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Alicent's father is the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who spends years maneuvering to make sure his grandson inherits the Iron Throne.
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Under the shadow of a supreme leader who dictates key decisions, and cunning politicians maneuvering for power, the Iranian presidency has over the past two years been reduced to little more than administering the edicts imposed from above.
Verb
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More billionaires live here than in any other state, and many of the tech firms openly engineering a future without workers are headquartered or built here.
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But the new study takes things further – by engineering in an extra molecule for the worm to secrete.
Verb
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Registration filed with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s Office earlier this year suggests the all-day café is also plotting a location in the Eastover/Myers Park area.
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Five men were charged on June 16 for allegedly plotting to kill government officials and others attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House on June 14, the Department of Justice said.
Cite this Entry
“Finagling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagling. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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