as in to buckle (down)
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)
Verb
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Freddy Peralta #51 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at American Family Field on June 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025 -
Now that Ohtani is again pitching in live-game action, new questions are lingering about where his buildup will go from here.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Don't dig in shallow water because the amoeba is more likely to live there.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
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But fiscal hawks in the Senate remained dug in, buoyed by former Trump advisor Elon Musk, who extended his all-out offensive against the bill.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 June 2025
Verb
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The Swiss brand—ever the innovators—modified its automatic calibre 1030 by fitting it with an extra hour hand slaved to the local hour hand and placed this movement in an Oyster case.—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
28 Mar. 2025
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However, the worse the prison’s conditions become — as the workers are forced to slave away on secret Death Star parts with no promise of release — the more Kino is pushed to join Cassian and his brewing prisoner revolt.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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One teacher remembered him as an unspectacular student, more focused on making his cohort laugh than knuckling down.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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There is every chance Pepi may decide to knuckle down and keep pushing De Jong, as PSV chase a successful defense of their title and progress in the Champions League.—
Jeff Rueter,
The Athletic,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Haliburton was laboring, and the Pacers were working around it.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Indeed, where Webb got soft contact and quick outs, needing just 98 pitches to complete his seventh seven-inning outing of the season, Yamamoto labored through hitters’ counts and long at-bats, issuing a career-high five walks while finding the strike zone on just 56 of his 102 pitches.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
Verb
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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
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As several drummers banged away, Vázquez danced near a table and teammates clapped along to the music, including a spirited effort from Royce Lewis.—
Dan Hayes,
The Athletic,
16 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Flummoxed in Congress, organizing back home The pushback to Trump has been slow in starting as congressional Democrats, outnumbered in both chambers, continue to struggle to devise the strongest message and most effective tactics to use against the Republican president.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
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Just as a time traveler from the 1960s would struggle to navigate modern life without learning how to operate a phone, a talented professional in 2025 who hasn’t learned to work with AI tools is out of step with reality.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Apply (oneself).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apply%20%28oneself%29. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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