as in to apply (oneself)
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckle (down)
Verb
-
Phillips, who has been out for more than a year following Tommy John surgery, threw 23 pitches in his third session against hitters but first from a major league mound.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026 -
The final score was deceiving because the Rockies scored five runs in the ninth off infielder Miguel Rojas, who was pitching in relief to save wear and tear on the Dodgers’ bullpen.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Teams will use the five-week gap between the races in Japan and Miami to knuckle down at their factories and develop car upgrades that could boost their fortunes upon returning to the track in May.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
In survival mode, many brands have been forced to knuckle down and fortify their business strategies, in hopes of setting them up for success against a difficult backdrop.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Pro evaluation specialist Meg Evans filed a scouting report on Miles, and Toronto’s Rule 5 group, led by John Babocsi and Nick Manno, decided to dig in further.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
Bake until golden brown, and dig in.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Magadan had a deadly reputation in the Stalin era, as a hub for Gulag mines where political prisoners slaved sometimes to death and produced gold and other minerals in the process.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Po’s journey begins while slaving away at his boring noodle job on the day the Dragon Warrior is to be chosen.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Blow-dry bangs away from the face with a round brush or Velcro rollers for effortless-looking volume.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Brian Cashman gets it all the time, but good, from Yankee fans; for them, banging away at Cashman on social media feels like the real national pastime.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Buckle (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckle%20%28down%29. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
