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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Suddenly, Marjane succumbing to sorrow became achingly comprehensible.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026 -
The Spurs got off just three field goal attempts while succumbing to the Knicks’ defensive pressure.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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After that victory, Makhachev moved up to welterweight, surrendering his 155-pound title.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
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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.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Chiarella felt the onscreen passion between Bird and Clausen early on, when the pair was just submitting self-tapes.—
William Earl,
Variety,
19 June 2026
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This data collection is required before submitting a construction permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Roki Sasaki dominated early, facing one over the minimum through five innings, before giving up back-to-back homers to Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
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Petersen pitched a scoreless fifth before giving up the home run in the sixth.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
20 June 2026
Verb
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In 1997, as Sanders was reckoning with his father’s pain, Glass was giving in to hers.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
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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.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
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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.—
Tales Azzoni,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Verb
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His coworker once spotted a fan on their knees, bowing toward the entrance gate near the property.—
Leah Willingham,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
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Season 7 was a huge hit in France, bowing to a 37% share in the 4-14 demographic.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
21 June 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 25 Jun. 2026.
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