finagled

verb

past tense of finagle
1
as in negotiated
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheated
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal she'll finagle until she gets exactly what she wants

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of finagled This whole thing seems staged, planned, finagled, massaged, bamboozled, lollygagged, and all sorts of other long, silly-sounding words that may not necessarily apply to this situation. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025 In Europe with friends, Reed finagled his way into the Venice Film Festival in 1965 and interviewed Buster Keaton and Jean-Paul Belmondo. — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026 On Sunday, August 10, the JoBros kicked off their Jonas20 tour in New Jersey, with Nick telling the audience that after Joe landed a lead role in the Disney Channel Original Movie, their dad finagled a way for Kevin and Nick to get parts as well. — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finagled
  1. negotiated
  2. cheated
  3. arranged
  4. manipulated
  5. engineered
Verb
  • The deal was negotiated by Amazon MGM Studios and Sarah Vacchiano for United Artists.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 2 July 2026
  • Any deal negotiated between team officials and the city will need to come back to the City Council for final approval.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
Definition of negotiated
Verb
  • Hell may hath no fury like a Red Devils squad feeling cheated after the shocking FIFA decision to allow Balogun to play tonight in Seattle.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Billups is accused of participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families that cheated unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million.
    — Ed White, Twin Cities, 29 June 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • The original design featured 13 stripes representing the colonies and 13 stars arranged in a circle to symbolize equality among them.
    — Pete Cuddihy, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • The floorplan is arranged with a clear separation between the living areas and private sleeping quarters of the home.
    — Bridget Borgobello July 03, New Atlas, 4 July 2026
Definition of arranged
Verb
  • In all the stories across both timelines, Dinner said there’s a common thread about memories and how they can be manipulated, and that exploring it was part of the appeal of the new season — not just for the audience, but for the director.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 July 2026
  • The other company whose shares were manipulated in the scheme, E-Waste, had an even higher market cap at some point, despite being nothing more than a shell company.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 July 2026
Definition of manipulated
Verb
  • What makes David the newest protein bar contender David is the newest of the three and the most scientifically engineered, built around one goal maximum protein per calorie.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 6, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
  • Top-end homes are increasingly being engineered with structural systems more commonly associated with commercial buildings, including extensive steel framing that enables larger expanses of glass and fewer interior columns.
    — Mark David, Robb Report, 4 July 2026
Definition of engineered

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Cite this Entry

“Finagled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finagled. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on finagled

Nglish: Translation of finagled for Spanish Speakers

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