finagle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed byout of ).
He finagled the backers out of a fortune.
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to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation.
to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to get or achieve by trickery, craftiness, or persuasion; wangle
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to use trickery or craftiness on (a person)
Other Word Forms
- finagler noun
Etymology
Origin of finagle
An Americanism first recorded in 1925–30; finaig- (variant of fainaigue ) + -le
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And if he was moving across the Atlantic, he figured he might as well finagle his way onto one of the country’s televised quiz shows.
From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2024
Indeed, the internet is full of DIY hackers explaining how to finagle a frunk unofficially.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2022
According to the documents, Ramos “was able to finagle his way” into McClurg’s residence.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2022
The team was fortunate to finagle an NFC East title and playoff berth with a 7-9 record last season.
From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2022
Since my dayee Mehrdad lived in the coveted and ritzy Saratoga neighborhood within Lynbrook's district, we used his address to finagle our way into the school.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
