as in to negotiate
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
wangled a way to get free tickets to the show
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Recent Examples of wangle
The micro-budget indie (Sundance 2025) about a farm community recovering from wildfires had wangled a permit to shoot during the Actors Strike.
—
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
For years, Jann Wenner, the editor and publisher of Rolling Stone, wangled special press plates for his car which allowed him to park where most others couldn’t.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
One of Trump’s conditions for supporting Ukraine’s independence and ending the war is to wangle an earth minerals deal out of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
—Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
After wangling her way into the jury-deliberation room by getting Lonnie the sexist podcaster disqualified, her questions about the weapon, motive, and witnesses’ testimony puncture hole after hole in the DA’s case against Delia.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Then, the Yankees wangled and wooed it away from the Spanish and Mexicans.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
To wangle a slice of the $40 billion Saudi Arabia plans to invest in Africa.
—Matthew T. Page, TIME, 10 May 2024
The production has managed to wangle an imposing location for the Visitor’s antics to unfold: one of those huge London statement homes made almost entirely of glass, like a sort of gigantic Cubist fishbowl.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024
Through that connection, Marlinspike wangled a meeting with WhatsApp’s cofounder Brian Acton.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 31 July 2016
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
For years, Jann Wenner, the editor and publisher of Rolling Stone, wangled special press plates for his car which allowed him to park where most others couldn’t.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
One of Trump’s conditions for supporting Ukraine’s independence and ending the war is to wangle an earth minerals deal out of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
—Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
After wangling her way into the jury-deliberation room by getting Lonnie the sexist podcaster disqualified, her questions about the weapon, motive, and witnesses’ testimony puncture hole after hole in the DA’s case against Delia.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Then, the Yankees wangled and wooed it away from the Spanish and Mexicans.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
To wangle a slice of the $40 billion Saudi Arabia plans to invest in Africa.
—Matthew T. Page, TIME, 10 May 2024
The production has managed to wangle an imposing location for the Visitor’s antics to unfold: one of those huge London statement homes made almost entirely of glass, like a sort of gigantic Cubist fishbowl.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024
Through that connection, Marlinspike wangled a meeting with WhatsApp’s cofounder Brian Acton.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 31 July 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wangle
Verb
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But general-education courses play a pivotal role in a department’s ability to recruit potential majors, pull in tuition revenue and negotiate hiring additional faculty.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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Leagues and players’ associations negotiate workplace rules, and those agreements are exempt from antitrust scrutiny.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The partnership formed only after Wimbledon, arranged through Tien’s agent, despite the two having lived in the same Southern California tennis orbit for years without ever meeting.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brick villas arranged in clusters have rooms in browns and creams; most come with balconies facing the Red Sea.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 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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The most fantastical parts of the movie retain some of their power because Sher and Gyllenhaal subtly manipulate aspect ratio changes and a vertical growth across the film.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wangle. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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