as in to buckle (down)
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)
Verb
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Making your pitch in a pool of that size is an expensive task, South said.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
4 Feb. 2026 -
Tuesday’s hearing was in response to state and team officials’ request that the Unified Government also pitch in some of its local revenue to help pay off those bonds.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After all, the sessions are full of everything a developing brain needs — kids play with fun gardening tools, dig in dirt without getting in trouble and run rampant around an open farm.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
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Republicans are dealing with a razor-thin majority in the House, and Democrats could decide to step in to help propel it to final passage if hardliners dig in on their demands.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 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
-
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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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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Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Federal standards to protect coal miners and workers who labor in extreme heat finally inched closer to implementation, and dancers in Washington State organized to win a Strippers’ Bill of Rights.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 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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As China struggles with a prolonged economic slump, and the US has emerged with the highest number of billionaires in the world, with over 900 (up from 813 in 2024), more splashy events in the country will follow.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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His promotion comes at a moment when streaming, film and sports media remain in flux, and big studios and networks are struggling to predict how audiences will be consuming media three years from now.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
3 Feb. 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 6 Feb. 2026.
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