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
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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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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
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According to Bessette, Gonzalez succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital and was pronounced dead.Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2025
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The starling succumbed to competition and predation.Scott Travers, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Williams faces a Minnesota top-five run defense that just surrendered a four-touchdown game to Lions back Jahmyr Gibbs. —Scott Phillips Expert picks (Photo of Josh Allen: Harry How / Getty Images) Get all-access to exclusive stories.The Athletic, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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These dynamics are less about control and more about surrendering to the moment, being in tune with each other’s needs, and deepening your connection.Dominique Fluker, Essence, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Comments cannot be edited or withdrawn once submitted to the portal.Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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The prime minister did not provide any further details on how the tax on non-EU home buyers would work or give any indication of when such proposals could be submitted to parliament for approval.Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Harris conceded to Trump the day after Election Day, and no Democrats have challenged the outcome as many Republican allies of Trump did in 2020.Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 6 Jan. 2025
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Leibniz conceded that this reverie of gadgets and wonders might sound rather odd, but such projects would stimulate further inventions.Anthony Gottlieb, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Reolink also bowed the Argus 4 Pro, a 4K 180-degree color night vision battery camera, and Altas PT Ultra, a 4K continuous recording battery camera.Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
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The show bowed in the AMT Theater in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City back in 2023 and is now also playing at The NuBox theater in the same enclave.Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near knuckle under
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckle%20under. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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