APPLY (ONESELF) Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

apply (oneself)

verb

Definition of apply (oneself)

as in to buckle (down)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)

Verb

Hanks’ teammates surrounded her on the pitch in an emotional celebration as the camera cut to her mother and grandmother’s joyful faces in the stands.

— Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The winning hit provided redemption for Lindor, who was thrown out at second trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt in the eighth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of pitch in

Verb

Part of the solution, parents say, is to let students dig in the dirt during science class or leaf through a library book during English.

— Stephanie Cook Broadhurst, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
In Children Playing on the Beach, 1884, two pudgy and sunburned girls dig in the sand.

— Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of dig in

Verb

Magadan had a deadly reputation in the Stalin era, as a hub for Gulag mines where political prisoners slaved sometimes to death and produced gold and other minerals in the process.

— Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Po’s journey begins while slaving away at his boring noodle job on the day the Dragon Warrior is to be chosen.

— Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025

Definition of slave

Verb

Teams will use the five-week gap between the races in Japan and Miami to knuckle down at their factories and develop car upgrades that could boost their fortunes upon returning to the track in May.

— Luke Smith, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
In survival mode, many brands have been forced to knuckle down and fortify their business strategies, in hopes of setting them up for success against a difficult backdrop.

— Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026

Definition of knuckle down

Verb

To heat-style, blow-dry curtain bangs away from the face, sweeping them from side to side with a paddle brush.

— Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 9 June 2026
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

Definition of bang away

Verb

According to the court document, the fraud scheme started with recruiting young women who were homeless or struggling with addiction, housing or finances.

— Adam Duxter, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Even as Brandon Marsh struggled against lefties, he was allowed to hit against tough relievers late in games.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of struggle

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.

Browse Nearby Words

applying (to)

apply (oneself)

apply (to)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Apply (oneself).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apply%20%28oneself%29. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of apply (oneself)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

divulge

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes