1
as in to negotiate
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
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2
as in to cheat
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal
she'll finagle until she gets exactly what she wants
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of finagle
Ruby even somehow finagles AJ’s ultimate true crime fixation, Amanda Knox, into meeting AJ for dinner.
—
Scarlett Harris, IndieWire, 21 Dec. 2024
Shapiro and his business partner, Jeff Franklin, finagled a deal with New York’s fledgling USA Network to supply two hours of content a night, which eventually turned into eight; the network would split the advertising revenue with them 50/50, at $300 for a 30-second slot.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
The lawsuit would drag on for years before a judge ruled, in 2022, that Lynch had indeed finagled the true value of Autonomy.
—airmail.news, 19 Aug. 2024
Enter the easiest way to finagle onto the show: fellow grifter Drew Sidora.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Scarlett Harris, IndieWire, 21 Dec. 2024
Shapiro and his business partner, Jeff Franklin, finagled a deal with New York’s fledgling USA Network to supply two hours of content a night, which eventually turned into eight; the network would split the advertising revenue with them 50/50, at $300 for a 30-second slot.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
The lawsuit would drag on for years before a judge ruled, in 2022, that Lynch had indeed finagled the true value of Autonomy.
—airmail.news, 19 Aug. 2024
Enter the easiest way to finagle onto the show: fellow grifter Drew Sidora.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finagle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagle
Verb
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His special envoy to Ukraine set a goal of negotiating an agreement even quicker during the first 100 days of Trump's term.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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Kelley Heyer was reportedly negotiating a license with the online gaming platform, but the two parties did not reach a deal before the dance was used.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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There's a problem these players aren't punished enough for cheating.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
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And right when they're embroiled in the ensuing messy separation, new DNA evidence surfaces in Adam's case, the woman Bob cheated with turns up missing, and just like that, Sarah's back in the spotlight.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But the human author was a sort of conductor: prompting, arranging, intervening.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
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Oz: On [Richard’s] birthday, Laura arranged for maybe a dozen Civil War reenactors to come galloping onto the set.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This country is being manipulated by two people — and those too afraid to have the courage to oppose them.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
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In Season 4 of the Max comedy, Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels have manipulated their way into their respective dream jobs as host and head writer of a late-night talk show on network TV.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Finagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagle. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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