1
as in yanking
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
the car bucked and stalled
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in resisting
to refuse to give in to
bucked the trend to outdo everyone else and just wore the same clothes they had in previous years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in handing
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another
buck each box to the next person in line, and the last person will stack them in the storeroom
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bucking
The Garden, the usual host of Celtics basketball games and Bruins hockey games in the winter, transformed into an arena full of dirt and bucking chutes.
—
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Farmer’s Fridge may be bucking the trends in part due to its location, location, location mantra, tapping into shifting centers of activity and customers more likely to pay up for a healthy meal — without waiting in line, Tristano said.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
There was another video in which Kelce was the referee for a separate belly-bucking competition, hyping up the participants before calling the start of it.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Shares of the quick-service restaurant stock lost more than 3% in the three-month period, bucking the broader market’s uptrend with the S & P 500 gaining almost 8% in the same timeframe.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
The number of homebuyers taking out VA loans also increased in August, rising 3 percent year-over-year nationwide—bucking the trend observed for conventional loans, which declined 9 percent year-over-year in the same month.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Polls have generally shown more Americans blaming the GOP, though Democrats have been somewhat divided over the funding lapse, with several Senate Democrats bucking their party.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2025
In Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky that meant not only literacy tests and poll taxes, but also bucking the trend toward one standardized election calendar.
—Time, 29 Oct. 2025
But the actor turned wellness and lifestyle guru is bucking the norm—first, with that photo that shared skin texture and expression lines, and now by showing, not hiding, her grays.
—Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Farmer’s Fridge may be bucking the trends in part due to its location, location, location mantra, tapping into shifting centers of activity and customers more likely to pay up for a healthy meal — without waiting in line, Tristano said.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
There was another video in which Kelce was the referee for a separate belly-bucking competition, hyping up the participants before calling the start of it.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Shares of the quick-service restaurant stock lost more than 3% in the three-month period, bucking the broader market’s uptrend with the S & P 500 gaining almost 8% in the same timeframe.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
The number of homebuyers taking out VA loans also increased in August, rising 3 percent year-over-year nationwide—bucking the trend observed for conventional loans, which declined 9 percent year-over-year in the same month.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Polls have generally shown more Americans blaming the GOP, though Democrats have been somewhat divided over the funding lapse, with several Senate Democrats bucking their party.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2025
In Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky that meant not only literacy tests and poll taxes, but also bucking the trend toward one standardized election calendar.
—Time, 29 Oct. 2025
But the actor turned wellness and lifestyle guru is bucking the norm—first, with that photo that shared skin texture and expression lines, and now by showing, not hiding, her grays.
—Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bucking
Verb
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Video of that incident shows a man identified by police as Calhoon lunging across the table, yanking it toward him and flipping it on its side while Turning Point promotional materials spilled onto the pavement.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Ciattarelli promises to lower energy costs immediately by yanking the state out of a regional greenhouse gas initiative, as well as any other environmental policy that voters are sick of.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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According to the department, Sutton currently faces three counts of resisting an officer, two counts of public intimidation, two counts of battery of a police officer, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of criminal trespassing.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Of the many types of basil, the classic Italian 'Treviso' variety stands out for resisting bitterness, staying tender longer, and being slow to flower even as summer heats up.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the fourth quarter and the game well in hand, Ndukwe blocked James Ferguson-Reynolds’ punt, handing IU the ball on the seven.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Sanders recorded 16 tackles and one forced fumble in 13 games, with Pro Football Focus handing him the third-best grade of all Texas State defenders.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To that point, Olympia shouldn’t be allowed to play the jury the tear-jerking recording of Frank’s final phone call home as the water rose.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Surprise Lining The most tear-jerking moment, however, was kept secret until the very last minute.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The New York City Police Department maintained a safety perimeter around the protest to ensure no chaos sparked between the opposing protesters.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The footage released by CCTV depicted two opposing forces in the exercise.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Drake Maye finds himself among the leading early MVP candidates while ranking fifth in the league in passing yards (2,285) and tied for third in touchdown passes (17) while throwing only four interceptions.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The Bearcats had 222 yards passing and 273 yards rushing.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As his career skyrocketed, Chalamet spent years quietly training — aided by an expert on the sport, Diego Schaaf — by pulling a table-tennis setup along to productions ranging from Dune to Wonka.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
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Notre Dame didn’t mess around in pulling all that material together, looking like a program with a plan before the portal opened.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
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After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bucking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bucking. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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