finagle

[ fi-ney-guhl ]
See synonyms for: finaglefinagling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),fi·na·gled, fi·na·gling.
  1. to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed by out of): He finagled the backers out of a fortune.

  2. 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.
  1. to practice deception or fraud; scheme.

Origin of finagle

1
An Americanism first recorded in 1925–30; finaig- (variant of fainaigue) + -le
  • Sometimes fe·na·gle .

Other words from finagle

  • fi·na·gler, noun

Words Nearby finagle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use finagle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for finagle

finagle

/ (fɪˈneɪɡəl) /


verbinformal
  1. (tr) to get or achieve by trickery, craftiness, or persuasion; wangle

  2. to use trickery or craftiness on (a person)

Origin of finagle

1
C20: probably changed from dialect fainaigue

Derived forms of finagle

  • finagler, noun

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