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
Transmission and cost crunch The physical grid is buckling under the same pressure.
—
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
Retí’s is the standout performance, cogently mapping a mother’s tenacity buckling under a mounting feeling of helplessness at watching her child disappear into a mystery.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Outcry over the funding cuts prompted Republican lawmakers to create $50 billion in new rural health grants, but critics say that funding is intended for innovative health care delivery solutions — not propping up hospitals buckling under current pressures.
—ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
Its walls of red brick had grown thicker after years of gunked ink, the slats of its wooden floors were wildly uneven beneath the buckling weight of antiquated iron machines.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Cal State simply wore down the Lumberjacks, beating their California Collegiate Athletic Association rivals in the second half, sending players in waves with Humboldt finally buckling under the pressure.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Their legs are buckling under the weight of point guard Rodney Rice’s injury and subsequent absence.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 27 Feb. 2026
Over the past year, spending has been uneven by income bracket, with the poorest Americans buckling under the weight of rising debt, a slowing labor market and cumulative inflation over the past several years.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Carr suspects drought has something to do with it, a sign that the natural world is buckling under skyrocketing temperatures and reticent rains.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
Retí’s is the standout performance, cogently mapping a mother’s tenacity buckling under a mounting feeling of helplessness at watching her child disappear into a mystery.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Outcry over the funding cuts prompted Republican lawmakers to create $50 billion in new rural health grants, but critics say that funding is intended for innovative health care delivery solutions — not propping up hospitals buckling under current pressures.
—ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
Its walls of red brick had grown thicker after years of gunked ink, the slats of its wooden floors were wildly uneven beneath the buckling weight of antiquated iron machines.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Cal State simply wore down the Lumberjacks, beating their California Collegiate Athletic Association rivals in the second half, sending players in waves with Humboldt finally buckling under the pressure.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Their legs are buckling under the weight of point guard Rodney Rice’s injury and subsequent absence.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 27 Feb. 2026
Over the past year, spending has been uneven by income bracket, with the poorest Americans buckling under the weight of rising debt, a slowing labor market and cumulative inflation over the past several years.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Carr suspects drought has something to do with it, a sign that the natural world is buckling under skyrocketing temperatures and reticent rains.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckling
Verb
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It was abandoned in 1961 and nature took its course, with brambles spreading and structures collapsing.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
7 May 2026
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The problem is those roofs cannot go too low without the roof potentially collapsing, creating fire and explosion risks.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
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By the 1970s, editors tried to distinguish their op-ed pages from others, but most adopted the common practice of devoting most, if not all, of their op-ed pages to outside voices.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Nothing will ever undo the original sin, and devoting your life to ruining someone else’s is a loss for both of you.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Moses Moody scored 23 points before crumpling to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury late in overtime as the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 137-131 on Monday night, extending the Mavericks' home losing streak to 12 games, their longest in 32 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Late on, with the game already won, James Garner and substitute Merlin Rohl chased Enzo Fernandez, sending him crumpling to the turf.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In closing, it should be mentioned that just as colchicine treatment results in seedless watermelons, mini-melons may also be a consequence of applying colchicine to watermelon seedlings, followed by a breeding process similar to that described above.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
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As an additional step, Holm likes to quickly cleanse her eye area to get rid of any leftover mascara or liner before applying fresh makeup.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Ludi Lin has spent the better part of a decade punching, kicking and fire-bending his way through some of Hollywood’s biggest action franchises.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 May 2026
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This helps so that people aren’t bending.—
Amy Kunst,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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There, the pair of college students would listen to the trills of saxophones and shake hands with musicians, sometimes giving band members rides to gigs.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2026
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How Florida’s new voting maps favor white voters Voting rights groups have criticized the new Florida maps as giving an unfair advantage to the GOP and the white communities that make up the majority of the party’s voter base.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckling. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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