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knuckling under

verb

present participle of knuckle under
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

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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
  1. succumbing
  2. surrendering
  3. submitting
  4. giving up
  5. giving in
  6. conceding
  7. bowing
Verb
  • He was carried out of the ring on a stretcher; his body finally succumbing to complete exhaustion.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Tickets are priced at tiers that smell extortionate, and are won by either facing off with bots or succumbing to the—actually extortionate—resale market.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of succumbing
Verb
  • The elite programs get another Saturday of tickets, parking, concessions and television inventory without surrendering a future home date.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The bullpen was coming off a rough night, surrendering five runs in Wednesday’s 9-6 loss, a game in which the Royals led 5-2.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of surrendering
Verb
  • Ask a friend or mentor to read it for flow and engagement before submitting.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of submitting
Verb
  • That pressure campaign preceded LSU giving up the fight in the evening.
    — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Think shows like Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience, which both caught fire worldwide without giving up their distinctively Canadian sensibilities.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of giving up
Verb
  • Petersen said at the time that the city was giving in to blackmail from the business community.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • She should still be blamed for giving in to the allure of billboards ten feet tall with languorous models.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of giving in
Verb
  • By now, even Kimi Antonelli's closest rival is conceding that the race for the Formula 1 title is pretty much over.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The film featured 24 Israeli officers and soldiers effectively confessing to war crimes with one even conceding that what was being done to the Palestinians was a genocide.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of conceding
Verb
  • Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, is set to open the Beyond Fest genre festival in Los Angeles after bowing in Venice.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Standing in a holding pen for inmates, wearing orange jail attire, Holdo looked back at Savery almost admiringly, at times bowing his head.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of bowing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

knuckling down (to)
knuckling under
knuckling under (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Knuckling under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckling%20under. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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