1
as in succumbing
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 surrendering
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 knuckling under
Verb
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Yet succumbing to hubris is now more dangerous than ever.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026 -
They were ejected into all manner of orbits, there to remain for decades before ultimately succumbing to the slow pull of Earth’s gravity at higher altitudes.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
Verb
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After Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies – a defeat that happened in large part because reliever Tanner Scott reverted to some old, bad habits in surrendering a 3-1 lead in the eighth – Yamamoto understood Sunday’s assignment.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
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Your choice Remember, there’s a big difference between offering someone a small gift and surrendering to the other person’s demand.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Should the center end up with 40 hours of weekly operation, staff and CRG members would be tasked with submitting a proposal on how to use the hours.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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Reporting teams have held back on submitting story pitches about important news topics out of fear of the internal repercussions.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Jordan Ayala of Norco retired the first 10 batters and had six strikeouts without giving up a hit.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Soto had the only two hits of the night for the Mets against Peréz (3-6), who retired eight straight after giving up the home run.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Many aging auteurs seem mentally caught between honoring their artistic legacy and giving in to the risky promise of AI that’s tempting (and, in some cases, directly financing) almost everyone in the media right now.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
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Deborah pecks her before reluctantly giving in to more passionate smooches.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
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With more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson pulled his starters, effectively conceding the series as the Knicks turned the final minutes into a celebration.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
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In the pain and promise of conceding to the fact that so much is still possible for this world and its people, no matter how grim the prognosis.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 May 2026
Verb
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The move was met by immediate pushback from Colorado Democrats, who accused the governor of bowing to political pressure.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
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As reported, the company will continue to mark its 110th milestone with an exhibition bowing in Parma in September, before traveling the world in 2027.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Knuckling under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckling%20under. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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