as in to apply (oneself)
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckle (down)
Verb
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Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz walked four and hit a batter with a pitch in the first two innings, but the right-hander retired 12 straight batters — six by strikeout — from the third through the sixth before handing the ball to the bullpen.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2026 -
Woods Richardson’s splitter has a minus-13 Run Value, tying it with Aaron Nola’s four-seam fastball for the worst pitch in baseball.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Bring the skillet to the table for everyone to dig in.—
Victoria Spencer,
Martha Stewart,
12 May 2026
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If both sides now dig in, the ensuing fight could threaten the 2027 season.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 May 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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Blow-dry bangs away from the face with a round brush or Velcro rollers for effortless-looking volume.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
7 Apr. 2026
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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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Cite this Entry
“Buckle (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckle%20%28down%29. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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