DEFINITIONS

finagle

or fe·na·gle

[ fi-ney-guh l ]
/ fɪˈneɪ gəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR finagle 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.

Words related to finagle

plot, cheat, contrive, trick, deceive, scheme, manipulate, swindle

Words nearby finagle

fin whale, fin-footed, fin., fin. sec., finable, finagle, final, final cause, final cut, final four, final host

Origin of finagle

1925–30, Americanism; 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. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for finagling

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