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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Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between the US and Iran in recent months during the war in the Middle East, playing a leading role in negotiating a temporary ceasefire in April.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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College hockey already is negotiating a tumultuous era.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Welker asked Trump about his cheating claims.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
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Cooper’s girlfriend accused Cooper of cheating and threw his phone against a wall of Cooper’s apartment, according to the affidavit.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The ever-expanding, replicating, and manipulating series of rooms take scraps and memories of those who pass through it, expanding into something that defies personality or ease.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
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Uribe sued Cepeda for allegedly manipulating witnesses, but the Supreme Court cleared Cepeda of wrongdoing.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Ikebana flower arranging — Japan Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging, has been practiced since the late 15th century and remains deeply embedded in Japanese culture today.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
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Ikebana flower arranging — Japan.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
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By strategically maneuvering Bowers, Kubiak can put more pressure on opposing defenses, causing mistakes and creating mismatches.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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After launch, the glide vehicle separates from its booster and races toward its target at hypersonic speed while maneuvering along the way.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
Verb
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By breaking through these physical constraints, GCCS is engineering the material backbone for the future of AI and global communications.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
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For a long time, there has been an implicit assumption in engineering that the people building and operating systems understand them well enough to make informed decisions.—
Matthew Sweeney,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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In 2025, Vallow Daybell was handed two more consecutive life sentences after being convicted in Arizona for earlier plotting to kill her fourth husband and attempting to murder her niece's ex-husband.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
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He was also accused at the same trial of plotting separately with two school friends to carry out a solo attack earlier in 2024 in separate Middle Eastern cities.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finagling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagling. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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