as in to apply (oneself)
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckle (down)
Verb
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Winner Sandy Alcantara — the Marlins’ ace, pitching in his home ballpark — gave up three runs and five hits while striking out three in three innings.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026 -
Sandlin, who is rehabbing from elbow surgery, still has not pitched in a Cactus League game.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
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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The key evidence was teeth belonging to the animals, excavated during an archaeological dig in western New Guinea.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The temptation to dig in will grow.—
Jason Willick,
Washington Post,
7 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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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
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Cite this Entry
“Buckle (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckle%20%28down%29. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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