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

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
  1. succumbing
  2. surrendering
  3. submitting
  4. giving up
  5. giving in
  6. conceding
  7. bowing
Verb
  • Someone swept into the ocean by a sneaker wave is at risk of succumbing to extremely cold water temperatures, the agency said.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • There is hope for 2027, but Democrats must focus on lowering healthcare, food, gas and housing costs; lowering interest rates; ending the war in Iran; restoring goodwill with our allies and not succumbing to overreach from the far left.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of succumbing
Verb
  • Through three quarters, the Kansas City Chiefs had held the Denver Broncos to 13 points, building an 11-point lead despite surrendering a touchdown on fourth down after three stops near the goal line.
    — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The central wager of an economic security alliance is that the United States can gain leverage over China by surrendering some leverage over its allies.
    — THEODORE BUNZEL, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of surrendering
Verb
  • Now Plum is demanding accountability, with the district's athletic director filing a formal complaint on Monday and submitting the video to the WPIAL for review.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Budget woes One of the governor’s first challenges out of the gate will be submitting a state budget in January to legislators.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of submitting
Verb
  • The Eagles are averaging 32 points a game while giving up only eight points a game.
    — Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Their defense probably needs to improve in terms of giving up good looks.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of giving up
Verb
  • And Saul says that younger heirs often want to preserve their family’s charitable traditions while giving in ways that reflect their own values.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Parents tend to avoid conflict by giving in or helping kids avoid repercussions.
    — Alex Vance, Parents, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of giving in
Verb
  • Orlando is winless in its last four away matches, conceding 13 goals.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But among all Ukrainian regions surveyed, Kyiv respondents had the lowest support for conceding the Donbas territory.
    — Gerard Toal, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of conceding
Verb
  • Erdogan also fired his aide Oktay Saral, who had criticized the headscarf ban on social media, reportedly bowing to a demand from Aliyev, according to the newspaper Cumhuriyet and other media reports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Brief tornadoes may also develop along the northern ends of bowing segments within the line.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2026.

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