as in to buckle (down)
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)
Verb
-
But because his top relievers had not pitched in Wednesday’s rout, manager Dan Wilson was eager to use them in Game 4.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025 -
The Dodgers’ desire to ride their starting pitching in October and minimize the exposure of their Achilles’ heel (the bullpen) is being fulfilled.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But that may just be leading Democrats to dig in.—
Al Weaver,
The Hill,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Whip up a tray in no time and let everyone dig in.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Maybe entrepreneurship to you means slaving away behind a laptop, answering to clients, suppliers and team members.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
-
After two years away on loan while Leeds were slaving away in the second tier, the winger has returned to find his old No 11 shirt in Brenden Aaronson’s possession.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
After a 3-1 defeat at Fulham in September, Howe pulled Isak aside and told him to knuckle down.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
European countries need to knuckle down and increase their military capabilities while Russia is still dedicating a chunk of its forces to its invasion of Ukraine, Sweden's defense minister has said.—
Ellie Cook — reporting from Prague, Czech Republic,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At 41 weeks, she was induced and labored for hours before doctors determined an emergency C-section was necessary.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Already labored by national debt levels around double the European target, in September the French economy was downgraded by credit ratings agency Fitch.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Brian Cashman gets it all the time, but good, from Yankee fans; for them, banging away at Cashman on social media feels like the real national pastime.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Former staff leaked internal spats and embarrassing editorial ideas by the new leadership and pointed out that many top leaders were banging away at stories that were likely below their pay grade.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
According to Edwards, Brooke deliberately portrayed Arabella as struggling to adapt to her new home and her Canadian identity.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
As the team struggles with grief, Sharon decides to pull Station 42 off active duty entirely, rather than assign a new captain.—
Alamin Yohannes,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Apply (oneself).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apply%20%28oneself%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share