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finagle

[ fi-ney-guhl ]
/ fɪˈneɪ gəl /
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See synonyms for: finagle / finagling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), fi·na·gled, fi·na·gling.
to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed by out of): He finagled the backers out of a fortune.
to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation: to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.
verb (used without object), fi·na·gled, fi·na·gling.
to practice deception or fraud; scheme.
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Sometimes fe·na·gle .

Origin of finagle

An Americanism first recorded in 1925–30; finaig- (variant of fainaigue) + -le

OTHER WORDS FROM finagle

fi·na·gler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use finagle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for finagle

finagle
/ (fɪˈneɪɡəl) /

verb informal
(tr) to get or achieve by trickery, craftiness, or persuasion; wangle
to use trickery or craftiness on (a person)

Derived forms of finagle

finagler, noun

Word Origin for finagle

C20: probably changed from dialect fainaigue
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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