finagle

/fɪˈneɪgəl/

Other forms: finagling; finagled; finagles

When you finagle, you get out of something using devious methods, like when you pretend you're sick to avoid taking a pop quiz.

Finagle is a word with a usually negative connotation, as it means to get something by being dishonest or tricking someone. To get a student discount from a bookstore by pretending you're a student is to finagle the store clerk. Finagle might also mean to get your way by being clever, as when you convince your sister that what she really wants for her birthday is that video game you've been dreaming of for months.

Definitions of finagle

1. verb

   achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods
   synonyms: manage, wangle, wrangle

   type of:

   accomplish, achieve, attain, reach

   gain with effort