1
as in succumbed
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control)
encouraged her to stand firm and not knuckle under to political pressure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surrendered
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
the remote outpost was overrun and forced to knuckle under
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knuckled under
Verb
-
Done in by Immanuel Quickley burying a 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Hornets succumbed to the Toronto Raptors 97-96 at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Jan. 2026 -
Trim away any roots that have succumbed to root rot.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Eventually, his parents surrendered to his passion for figure skating.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, the offense has surrendered just 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As of Friday, more than 200 questions had been submitted, with the deadline set for noon.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Ryder was submitted in the lead category the previous two seasons.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The at-bats were brief and uneventful, the opposite of the approach that carried Toronto to this stage and felled Snell in Game 1.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
-
That says a lot about the 2025 Red Sox, who were a top offensive team in many metrics, but were also felled by their bats in crucial spots throughout the year and postseason.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kinloch conceded the election in a short speech to his supporters Tuesday night.—
Corey Williams,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Sinclair, Ripley conceded, has experienced the downside of YouTube TV’s growth, including blackouts of its affiliated regional sports networks.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As with the first two Knives Out movies, Netflix bowed the threequel at the Toronto Film Festival in September.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Several councils in major cities bowed to public pressure.—
Michael Saunders,
FOXNews.com,
28 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Knuckled under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckled%20under. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share