1
as in to succumb
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
encouraged her to stand firm and not knuckle under to political pressure
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to surrender
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
the remote outpost was overrun and forced to knuckle under
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Recent Examples of knuckle under
The front lines of our legal edifice have been divided and conquered, with premier law firms knuckling under and meekly promising to shut up and work for Trump, while the Supreme Court carefully pulls its punches to avoid a showdown.
—
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Of course, Cruz knuckled under a little while later.
—James Hohmann, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Miraculously, however, it is told in the voice of a musician, Rainy, a man who refuses to knuckle under and whose tones remain kind and more hopeful than despairing.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Biden is all too willing to knuckle under both to the environmentalists who want to stop any new conventional-energy development and to the labor bosses who don’t want to see the ports modernized and automated, which might eat into their discretionary funds.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 June 2022
Please do not knuckle under.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 25 Oct. 2021
His determination to hold on to his dignity, to not knuckle under, marked a pathway for our family to move forward, to expand on what he’d not been allowed to do.
—Deborah Johnson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2023
As noted in this space in 2015, the company required participants in its Times Journeys program — pricey overseas trips guided by Times journalists — to knuckle under to an arbitration clause.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2022
Europe’s governing parties can’t knuckle under to Russian blackmail and retain their democratic viability.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Of course, Cruz knuckled under a little while later.
—James Hohmann, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Miraculously, however, it is told in the voice of a musician, Rainy, a man who refuses to knuckle under and whose tones remain kind and more hopeful than despairing.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Biden is all too willing to knuckle under both to the environmentalists who want to stop any new conventional-energy development and to the labor bosses who don’t want to see the ports modernized and automated, which might eat into their discretionary funds.
—The Editors, National Review, 23 June 2022
Please do not knuckle under.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 25 Oct. 2021
His determination to hold on to his dignity, to not knuckle under, marked a pathway for our family to move forward, to expand on what he’d not been allowed to do.
—Deborah Johnson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2023
As noted in this space in 2015, the company required participants in its Times Journeys program — pricey overseas trips guided by Times journalists — to knuckle under to an arbitration clause.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2022
Europe’s governing parties can’t knuckle under to Russian blackmail and retain their democratic viability.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knuckle under
Verb
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Most of the resulting plants succumbed to rust; the few that made it were crossed with one another to produce the next generation.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
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Don’t succumb to the urge to overfertilize, which leads to other problems. 4.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Left-hander José Castillo surrendered RBI singles to Eli White and Nick Allen.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
25 June 2025
-
Dominic Canzone’s sixth-inning home run was the seventh run Ober gave up, marking the second time in three starts that Ober has surrendered seven runs.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
24 June 2025
Verb
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But there’s another reason for it: the handwritten paragraph also begins a paper trail, attesting to voice and style, that a teaching assistant can consult if a suspicious paper is submitted.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Or a therapist who submits weekly reports for a patient, only to later discover that the patient had been in custody for months.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Verb
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In their five World Cup matches, the Netherlands conceded only two goals with Spitse on the pitch.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
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To get to a supermajority on partial overrides, the four members conceded on some of Gloria’s vetoes, such as elimination of $250,000 for a homeless outreach team.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 July 2025
Verb
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The brand also bowed Air Force 1 High and Air Force 1 Low sneakers.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 June 2025
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In Iraq, meanwhile, key militia groups have, since 2024, largely bowed to pressure from Baghdad to cease attacking U.S. forces and turned to political processes to retain their influence.—
Dana Stroul,
Foreign Affairs,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckle%20under. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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