as in to buckle (down)
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Recent Examples of knuckle down
One teacher remembered him as an unspectacular student, more focused on making his cohort laugh than knuckling down.
—
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
There is every chance Pepi may decide to knuckle down and keep pushing De Jong, as PSV chase a successful defense of their title and progress in the Champions League.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
There is every chance Pepi may decide to knuckle down and keep pushing De Jong, as PSV chase a successful defense of their title and progress in the Champions League.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
Rooney knuckled down and was United’s best player for the first half of the following season.
—Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
But the actor only ever knuckles down at being loathsome.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Chelsea have had to knuckle down to beat United before.
—Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Eddie Howe’s arrival as manager and a positional change helped, as did a willingness to knuckle down.
—Nancy Froston, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024
On the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend 2019, Scott Jones did his usual morning chore of dropping his eldest kids off at school and returning to his Arizona home office to knuckle down to work.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 17 June 2024
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
There is every chance Pepi may decide to knuckle down and keep pushing De Jong, as PSV chase a successful defense of their title and progress in the Champions League.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
There is every chance Pepi may decide to knuckle down and keep pushing De Jong, as PSV chase a successful defense of their title and progress in the Champions League.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
Rooney knuckled down and was United’s best player for the first half of the following season.
—Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
But the actor only ever knuckles down at being loathsome.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Chelsea have had to knuckle down to beat United before.
—Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Eddie Howe’s arrival as manager and a positional change helped, as did a willingness to knuckle down.
—Nancy Froston, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024
On the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend 2019, Scott Jones did his usual morning chore of dropping his eldest kids off at school and returning to his Arizona home office to knuckle down to work.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 17 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knuckle down
Verb
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Pages, Hernández and catcher Dalton Rushing each had two hits. Notes: Shohei Ohtani, who went hitless in six at-bats for the first time since 2019, threw 50 pitches in his most extensive bullpen session since undergoing a second surgery on his right elbow in 2023.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
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The right-hander has gone at least six innings in all eight of his starts this season and has not thrown more than 100 pitches in a single one of those outings.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2025
Verb
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Much of the original delay was because the feds demanded this new requirement but didn't give the states any money to implement it, so the states dug in until they got paid.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
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Before the interview with ABC News, the administration had dug in on its refusal to heed the Supreme Court order to help return Mr. Abrego Garcia, who is a Salvadoran migrant.—
Zolan Kanno-Youngs,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckle%20down. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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