-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Examples of knuckle down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the actor only ever knuckles down at being loathsome.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Chelsea have had to knuckle down to beat United before.
—Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Eddie Howe’s arrival as manager and a positional change helped, as did a willingness to knuckle down.
—Nancy Froston, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024
On the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend 2019, Scott Jones did his usual morning chore of dropping his eldest kids off at school and returning to his Arizona home office to knuckle down to work.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 17 June 2024
The Biden administration appears to be playing at war rather than knuckling down and winning it.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 11 Jan. 2024
Instead, the England centre half has knuckled down and waited for his opportunity.
—Liam Canning, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
Following the expansion of his stadium tour Down Under, the Weeknd’s catalog knuckles down on the ARIA Chart.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 8 Sep. 2023
Chuck’s law partner, Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), rebuffs Jimmy’s efforts to join the firm while Chuck offers Jimmy the well-meaning but patronizing advice to knuckle down, know his limitations and be patient.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2022
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.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1864, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near knuckle down
Cite this Entry
“Knuckle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knuckle%20down. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
knuckle down
verb
: to apply oneself in an earnest manner
More from Merriam-Webster on knuckle down
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for knuckle down
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share