1
as in succumbs
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surrenders
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
the remote outpost was overrun and forced to knuckle under
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of knuckles under
Everyone, including the media, knuckles under.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knuckles under
Verb
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Where Uthmeier succumbs to bigotry is in the presumption that DEI means unqualified.—
Howard L. Simon,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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But her character succumbs to Ducournau’s convoluted plotting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Robert Simmons surrenders to police following a seven-hour standoff.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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But Trump on Friday said that the United States wouldn’t end the war until Iran surrenders unconditionally.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Feeling neglected by Les, Lindy has struck up a retaliatory affair with his colleague Richie (O-T Fagbenle), who mistakenly submits one of her students’ short stories to The New Yorker as her own.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
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The only exception under the law is for a service primate for a permanently disabled person with a a severe mobility impairment, if the person submits written documentation or certification to the DEEP commissioner.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This day in sports history 1913 — Jim Thorpe gives up his track medals from the 1912 Olympic games as a result of his having been a professional.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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That extra pick could also be helpful if the Braves were to sign a free agent who turned down a qualifying offer from his former team, in which case the signing team gives up a draft pick to the team from which the player got the QO.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Nationally, the left often concedes first in the name of pragmatism, while more conservative factions hold firm and extract concessions.—
Darius Khalil Gordon,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
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That kind of advance won’t make physical crews or the places trying to lure them very happy, a point Stone concedes.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The film bows in Berlin’s Perspectives section.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Inside, surrounded by butter lamps and intricate iconography, even my skeptical husband bows before the Buddha.—
Shunali Khullar Shroff,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knuckles under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckles%20under. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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