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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That pushed his pitch count up to 29 pitches in the first inning — his most in any inning during this dominant postseason run, while landing just five of his 16 fastballs that inning in the strike zone.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Even after pitching in just 15 games this past season, he's set to receive a big pay day at just 30 years old.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Senate Republicans have failed to pass a clean short-term measure as Democrats dig in on health care priorities, specifically extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
27 Oct. 2025
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Philippa Langley insisted on the dig in the Northern area of the social services carpark where the remains were found.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckle%20down. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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