1
as in collapses
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure
the flimsy bridge buckled under the weight of the caravan of trucks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devotes
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention
buckled himself down and finished the assignment in record time
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of buckles
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
The word nearly buckles my knees.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckles
Verb
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Doing something that is sold as socially progressive, but ends up benefiting big-money donors, and then wrapping it up in so much regulation and taxation that the policy collapses under its own weight—how dysfunctionally California is that?—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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Trump seems to imagine a hierarchical system dominated by a single capo whose removal collapses the organization—a model rooted in the 1980s.—
Javier Corrales,
Time,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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California devotes $108 billion annually to health and human services, supplemented by $124 billion in federal funding.—
Joshua Rauh,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
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Instead, the movie devotes itself to weighing the cost of Jake’s arrival on Pandora, and his transformation into a member of its native species.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Originally commissioned for Queen Maria Cristina in the late 19th century, the tiara features upright diamond loops with white pearls at the center of each sinuous turn.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
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In practice, these demos show neuromorphic AI achieving millisecond-range sensing and decision loops.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Workers are startled when a jar tumbles out of a dusty box and rolls onto the ground.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Ralphy leaps up in shock, tumbles off the sofa, and sprints toward his owner, who is filming nearby.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Legal observers are also watching whether the Court’s conservative majority—which invoked the major questions doctrine to strike down Biden-era initiatives on student loans, pandemic mandates, and climate rules—applies the same standard to a Republican president.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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The same applies to Stanley Black & Decker — a big Wednesday gainer.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This is an open grid to hold the food that folds shut to form a basket.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
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Determined to stitch together an integrated HBO Stephen King–verse, Welcome to Derry folds in a young Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), the Overlook’s telepathic cook from The Shining, and even name-checks Shawshank Prison as part of its expanding mythology.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Plasma bends the rules To build the lens, scientists sent strong electrical pulses through hydrogen gas inside a narrow capillary tube.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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From galaxy rotation curves that defy Newton's laws to gravitational lensing that bends light in eerie ways, scientists have been piecing together clues about dark matter like interstellar sleuths.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That gives the car a one-to-one power-to-weight ratio, a figure usually reserved for modern hypercars.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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Using music for change, a pair of winners gives children a voice through songwriting.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buckles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckles. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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