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
-
The Boys – Season 5 (Prime Video) Things have gone from bad to worse in the final season of The Boys, Prime Video’s irreverent superhero satire about America succumbing to charismatic despots and fascistic opportunists.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026 -
Ace Hunter Brown made two starts before succumbing to a shoulder strain and closer Josh Hader has not thrown a pitch in the majors this season.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The journalist turns his attention to Oda Sotatsu, a man who has admitted to a string of disappearances but refuses to speak another word after surrendering to police.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
-
Considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable won two NCAA titles at Iowa State University and took gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics, without surrendering a single point across six matches.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
All artists submitting work live in California, and their art has been created within the last three years.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
14 May 2026
-
She was additionally found guilty of insurance fraud for taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on her husband's life with his forged signature and for submitting a claim following his death.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
But giving up young forwards would be part of the cost of acquiring the right-shot Zach Whitecloud.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
The Ducks fell into a not-so-old habit, giving up a goal on the first shot of the game, this time just 66 seconds into the match.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Deborah pecks her before reluctantly giving in to more passionate smooches.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Council member Abbie Kamin, one of three members who had pushed for the ordinance, voted against amending it, saying that doing so was giving in to bullying tactics from state leaders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Eddie Howe’s side have also had a habit of switching off late, conceding a league-high 20 goals in the final 15 minutes this season.—
Sukhman Singh,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
In the pain and promise of conceding to the fact that so much is still possible for this world and its people, no matter how grim the prognosis.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
An inspector can identify visible cracking, uneven floors, sticking doors and windows, and signs of bowing walls.—
Ryan Brennan
May 15,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
-
The storms are expected to organize into clusters, and bowing segments later in the evening will take on more of a wind than hail threat, the weather service said.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 May 2026
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
“Knuckling under.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knuckling%20under. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
