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
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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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Suddenly, Marjane succumbing to sorrow became achingly comprehensible.
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The Spurs got off just three field goal attempts while succumbing to the Knicks’ defensive pressure.
Verb
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After that victory, Makhachev moved up to welterweight, surrendering his 155-pound title.
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Boise’s rough end to May stretched into June, and the first-year club left Madison, Wisconsin, last week surrendering four unanswered goals in the second half for an embarrassing loss.
Verb
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The team plans to test the device further with other F-35 units at Luke before submitting the design to the Air Force’s global system.
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In a separate case, Oren David Shachar of Van Nuys, Abraham Shin of Corona and Jeannie Choi of Torrance are accused of participating in a healthcare fraud scheme involving submitting false claims for medically unnecessary hospice care services.
Verb
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Roberts walked the next hitter, Cooper Pratt, before giving up a run-scoring triple to David Hamilton.
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Warren had his worst start since early May, giving up five runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Verb
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In 1997, as Sanders was reckoning with his father’s pain, Glass was giving in to hers.
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Sonya, despite having a boyfriend, seems to feel the same way, but time and society are the only things holding her back from giving in to these feelings.
Verb
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Panama outshot, outpassed and outpossessed Ghana in its first game but came away with nothing after conceding a goal in stoppage time, leaving the Central Americans still looking for their first World Cup win.
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Haiti, ranked 83rd and back in the World Cup after five decades, lost 1-0 to Scotland in a decent performance in its opener, but then was no rival for five-time champion Brazil, conceding three first-half goals before improving to hold its ground in the second half of a 3-0 loss.
Verb
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His coworker once spotted a fan on their knees, bowing toward the entrance gate near the property.
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Season 7 was a huge hit in France, bowing to a 37% share in the 4-14 demographic.
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Cite this Entry
“Knuckling under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckling%20under. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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