1
as in to succumb
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
encouraged her to stand firm and not knuckle under to political pressure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to surrender
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
the remote outpost was overrun and forced to knuckle under
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of knuckle under
Of course, Cruz knuckled under a little while later.
—
James Hohmann, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Miraculously, however, it is told in the voice of a musician, Rainy, a man who refuses to knuckle under and whose tones remain kind and more hopeful than despairing.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Biden is all too willing to knuckle under both to the environmentalists who want to stop any new conventional-energy development and to the labor bosses who don’t want to see the ports modernized and automated, which might eat into their discretionary funds.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 June 2022
Please do not knuckle under.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 25 Oct. 2021
His determination to hold on to his dignity, to not knuckle under, marked a pathway for our family to move forward, to expand on what he’d not been allowed to do.
—Deborah Johnson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2023
As noted in this space in 2015, the company required participants in its Times Journeys program — pricey overseas trips guided by Times journalists — to knuckle under to an arbitration clause.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2022
Europe’s governing parties can’t knuckle under to Russian blackmail and retain their democratic viability.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022
His bile aimed at the Sulzberger family stems above all from the paper’s coverage and criticism of him, its refusal to knuckle under.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2021
James Hohmann, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Miraculously, however, it is told in the voice of a musician, Rainy, a man who refuses to knuckle under and whose tones remain kind and more hopeful than despairing.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Biden is all too willing to knuckle under both to the environmentalists who want to stop any new conventional-energy development and to the labor bosses who don’t want to see the ports modernized and automated, which might eat into their discretionary funds.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 June 2022
Please do not knuckle under.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 25 Oct. 2021
His determination to hold on to his dignity, to not knuckle under, marked a pathway for our family to move forward, to expand on what he’d not been allowed to do.
—Deborah Johnson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2023
As noted in this space in 2015, the company required participants in its Times Journeys program — pricey overseas trips guided by Times journalists — to knuckle under to an arbitration clause.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2022
Europe’s governing parties can’t knuckle under to Russian blackmail and retain their democratic viability.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022
His bile aimed at the Sulzberger family stems above all from the paper’s coverage and criticism of him, its refusal to knuckle under.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knuckle under
Verb
-
One of the drivers succumbed to injuries at the scene, while the other was transported to a nearby medical center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.—
Stephanie Lam,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Rather than aiming for the unique, which might pierce our haze of distraction, art has succumbed to marketable generalities: stock music on Spotify, soporific streams of Netflix content.—
Namwali Serpell,
The New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Nets also surrendered three straight 3-pointers to Vincent, Luka Doncic and Dalton Knecht over the final 2:29 of the third quarter.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2025
-
After an hour, the man surrendered to police but bit an officer on the arm, police said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacramento Bee,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Many borrowers who submitted IDR applications have already been waiting months for their requests to be processed.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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Applicants can submit for consideration starting March 3 at 12 p.m. PT, with submissions closing on March 5 at 12 p.m. PT.—
Thania Garcia,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The move inevitably would be divisive, as Shapiro conceded, and would likely be cast as political.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
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In four of the five matches the team has played this season, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris hasn’t conceded a goal.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Kateryna bowed her head and reached for her mom’s hand.—
Michael Holtz,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
-
That visit sparked controversy as he was widely seen as breaking royal protocol, failing to bow to the Queen and walking in front of her while inspecting a military guard.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckle%20under. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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