Main Entry:

²buckle

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

buck·led; buck·ling \ˈbə-k(ə-)liŋ\

Date:

14th century

transitive verb 1 : to fasten with a buckle 2 : to prepare with vigor 3 : to cause to bend, give way, or crumple intransitive verb 1 : to become fastened with a buckle 2 : to apply oneself with vigor —usually used with down<buckle down to the job> 3 : to bend, heave, warp, or kink usually under the influence of some external agency <wheat buckling in the wind> 4 : collapse <the props buckled under the strain> 5 : to give way : yield <he buckled under pressure>