as in to buckle (down)
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)
Verb
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With the bases loaded, Sánchez struck out Drew Millas on a pitch in the dirt, and Realmuto threw to first base trying to pick off Jacob Young, allowing Wiemer to score.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026 -
Alcantara only allowed three singles and a hit by pitch in the outing.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If and when a new CDC director nominee is named, and if that individual manages to win confirmation from a Senate that is showing itself increasingly willing to dig in its heels on presidential appointments, the hard work will just be starting.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
30 Mar. 2026
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Let’s dig in and take a closer look at the other important events on our radar.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Lamarck surely labored over these Romantic effusions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Texas starter Dylan Volantis labored through a long first inning, but a pop-out to catcher Carson Tinney stranded two runners on base.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Perhaps those June friendlies in Florida will give him one more chance to experiment, but the simple reality is that any Kane-less plan will struggle to get off the ground.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The waiver was established by the TEA to provide additional flexibility to go out of state to find qualified leaders to right the ships of struggling districts.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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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 2 Apr. 2026.
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