1
as in succumbed
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 surrendered
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 knuckled under
Verb
-
And when Jîna succumbed to her injuries on September 16, the Shargh reporter Niloofar Hamedi defied orders to keep quiet and told the world about her death in a tweet.—
Fatemeh Jamalpour,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025 -
In recent years, two towering figures of American liberalism, President Joe Biden and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, succumbed to hubris.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Patriots had the Dolphins stalled before Austin surrendered a 47-yard reception to wide receiver Tyreek Hill.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Rodgriguez surrendered and officers found an unloaded handgun on top of a baby inside the carriage, police said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Taxation submitted comments to the Treasury with respect to Executive Order 14247 regarding electronic payments, specifically those made by or to the IRS.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Washington Post said the claim appears to be based on information submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which monitors the safety of shots approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cal Fire’s newest proposal for Jackson, dubbed AMEX, targets nearly 500 acres with a patchwork of small clearcuts and is silent on tree sizes to be felled.—
John P. O’Brien,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Footage from the 1966 Italian documentary Africa Addio, of a herd of elephants being felled by both ground hunters and sharpshooters in helicopters, is distressing to watch.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But then, as has ever been the case, Manchester United conceded.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The list includes David Seaman (Arsenal 2-4 Norwich City, 1992), Michel Vorm (Man City 4-0 Swansea, 2011), Jordan Pickford (Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Sunderland, 2016) and poor Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who conceded five on his (Man City 5-0 Burnley, 2020).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The film bowed this summer and had Theron reprising her role.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Watch enough football and every commercial break becomes an exercise in bleary déjà vu, as the spots that bowed in the first quarter begin repeating on you like so many lager burps.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 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
“Knuckled under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckled%20under. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share