as in to buckle (down)
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)
Verb
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Ezra Ausar pitched in with 14 points and nine rebounds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026 -
Lions Clubs and community members from across the region pitched in.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After the review appeared, reporters began to dig in.—
Michael Waters,
New Yorker,
3 Jan. 2026
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Conceding that late equaliser to Arsenal was also a bitter way to end what was an unexpectedly galvanising performance that showed City can dig in.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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In an earlier era, the area around Goma, a region of vast lakes and forests, was the ivory belt of equatorial Africa, and the target of slaving expeditions from the Arab world.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Lahmeyer, the Oklahoma pastor, said pastors and Christian leaders often labor under the burden of expectations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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The team labored in home losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers, with Mahomes ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of that setback against the Chargers.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 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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His strength on defense was particularly impressive for a freshman, as TCU big men Xavier Edmonds and David Punch struggled to create good looks inside the lane thanks in large part to the defense of Peat.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Jan. 2026
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Players throughout the Heat’s rotation struggled to make shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 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 11 Jan. 2026.
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