as in to buckle (down)
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Recent Examples of knuckle down
After a 3-1 defeat at Fulham in September, Howe pulled Isak aside and told him to knuckle down.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
European countries need to knuckle down and increase their military capabilities while Russia is still dedicating a chunk of its forces to its invasion of Ukraine, Sweden's defense minister has said.
—Ellie Cook — Reporting From Prague, Czech Republic, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 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
George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
European countries need to knuckle down and increase their military capabilities while Russia is still dedicating a chunk of its forces to its invasion of Ukraine, Sweden's defense minister has said.
—Ellie Cook — Reporting From Prague, Czech Republic, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knuckle down
Verb
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Schlittler threw a career-high 107 pitches in his stellar outing, leaving his teammates in awe.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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But Chisholm’s walk kept the eighth inning alive and forced Whitlock to throw 15 more pitches in the inning.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But when companies dig in, persistence alone isn’t enough.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
20 Sep. 2025
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The wide, stretchy band creates a smooth fit that won’t dig in, while the wire-free design still provides light shaping and lift.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckle%20down. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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