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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Almost every Democrat who responded blamed Republicans for refusing to reopen most of DHS while continuing to negotiate on immigration enforcement funding.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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By the time fall approached, Kise and Bhirud, with Blanche’s blessing, were negotiating Ver’s extraordinary deal line by line.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The academy had been looking for a venue that offered greater control over how the show is staged, including how the audience is arranged and how the room is used for both the broadcast and the live event.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2026
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Trump administration officials are working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an off-ramp to the war in Iran, two senior administration officials told CNN.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Orban started manipulating these grievances, and did so to significantly divide Hungarian society.—
John Shattuck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
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As machines grow more powerful, society will become increasingly effective at shaping the world, while individuals who never learned to think deeply will be easier to manipulate.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wangle. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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