apply (oneself)

verb

Definition of apply (oneself)next
as in to buckle (down)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apply (oneself)
  1. pitch in
  2. dig in
  3. slave
  4. knuckle down
  5. labor
  6. bang away
  7. struggle
Verb
  • The lefty opened twice in June but had not pitched more than three innings since April, mostly pitching in long relief for Worcester.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Manager Dave Roberts announced Saturday that Yamamoto will not pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Philadelphia.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 July 2026
Definition of pitch in
Verb
  • Designed with a comfortable pull-on waistband that won’t dig in and flattering vertical stripes that visually elongate your legs, these pants are an easy wardrobe win—especially at the current $51 price tag.
    — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026
  • Take this sheet pan of nachos straight from the oven to the table so the whole family can dig in.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 9 July 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
  • That doesn’t mean the subscription businesses that media companies labored to build will collapse, Cohen said.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 July 2026
  • But others are still at work, laboring under a new collective bargaining agreement with another labor organization, the International Longshoremen’s Association.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of labor
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
  • Goldin, who also spent last season on a two-way contract with the Heat after going undrafted last year out of Michigan, struggled in Monday’s summer league loss.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • Turkey struggled against the USMNT’s corners throughout the game, with multiple chances created from outswinging corners towards the penalty spot.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 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

“Apply (oneself).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apply%20%28oneself%29. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All