1
as in collapsing
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 devoting
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention
buckled himself down and finished the assignment in record time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of buckling
The precious metal is now buckling a bit.
—
Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Even large value retailers are buckling now.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Over-Fussing with the Menu Southerners can be guilty of always assuming there needs to be a table buckling under the weight of food, but there is no need to overthink the menu.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
Those delaminations deteriorated between dive 80 and dive 88, its final dive, resulting in a local buckling failure that led to the implosion.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
While the full impact of Medicaid cuts could take years to unfold, doctors say the system is already buckling.
—Selina Wang, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025
Swift’s 149-show, five-continent expedition encapsulated a tsunami of emotions not just among her fans, but her own journey through a very public breakup, a fling and, as indicated by her engagement to Kelce, knee-buckling love.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
And the season preview does seem to promise that things will eventually get more interesting; shots of a groom going to get some air and a bride’s knees buckling suggest that at least one couple may be headed toward a wedding-day crisis.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
At every level—executive, judicial, legislative, corporate, institutional, media—every single guardrail that is supposed to protect our democracy is buckling.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2025
Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Even large value retailers are buckling now.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Over-Fussing with the Menu Southerners can be guilty of always assuming there needs to be a table buckling under the weight of food, but there is no need to overthink the menu.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
Those delaminations deteriorated between dive 80 and dive 88, its final dive, resulting in a local buckling failure that led to the implosion.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
While the full impact of Medicaid cuts could take years to unfold, doctors say the system is already buckling.
—Selina Wang, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025
Swift’s 149-show, five-continent expedition encapsulated a tsunami of emotions not just among her fans, but her own journey through a very public breakup, a fling and, as indicated by her engagement to Kelce, knee-buckling love.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
And the season preview does seem to promise that things will eventually get more interesting; shots of a groom going to get some air and a bride’s knees buckling suggest that at least one couple may be headed toward a wedding-day crisis.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
At every level—executive, judicial, legislative, corporate, institutional, media—every single guardrail that is supposed to protect our democracy is buckling.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckling
Verb
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The robotics system will coordinate multiple robotic arms to perform many tasks at once, collapsing what used to be three separate robotic stations into one streamlined workspace that can pick, stow, and consolidate in a single place.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The risk of the roof collapsing prompted the city to take final action against the owner of the former bowling alley.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As a working mother, Meghan has been candid about running her business while also devoting plenty of time to her kiddos.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
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Michaels is devoting about 25% of space in its stores to this new venture while also launching a party concept.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The sixth inning also featured a frightening moment when Cleveland’s David Fry, squaring around to bunt, took a 99 mph fastball from Skubal off his face, crumpling to the dirt as Skubal reacted with distress.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Singh’s truck blocked both lanes of the northbound Turnpike, leading the Chrysler Town & Country minivan the three friends were riding in to slam into the semi’s 18-wheeler trailer, crumpling underneath it.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But of course, applying it to humanity is far more fraught.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This year, to celebrate 40 years of Jordan Brand and the Air Jordan 1, the brand went even further, applying a meticulous makeover to the already refined silhouette.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Many have been wondering if WWE will end up giving Cargill her first world title reign in professional wrestling before the end of 2025.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The pregame show addressed the sports gambling scandal, with insider Chris Hayes giving some details around seven minutes in.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another key feature of the new design is its 3-degree-of-freedom waist, which allows the robot to perform human-like movements such as bending, twisting, and side-swaying with precision.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
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Frehley’s needle-in-the-red, string-bending solo slips eerily into the sound effect of a tape slowing down, and slurring.—
A.D. Amorosi,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Buckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckling. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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