buckle
Americannoun
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buckles
plural
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a clasp consisting of a rectangular or curved rim with one or more movable tongues, fixed to one end of a belt or strap, used for fastening to the other end of the same strap or to another strap.
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any similar contrivance used for such purposes.
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an ornament of metal, beads, etc., of similar appearance.
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a bend, bulge, or kink, as in a board or saw blade.
verb (used with object)
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buckles,
present (3rd person singular)
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buckled,
past participle, past
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buckling
present participle
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to fasten with a buckle or buckles.
Buckle your seat belt.
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to shrivel, by applying heat or pressure; bend; curl.
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to prepare (oneself ) for action; apply (oneself ) vigorously to something.
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to bend, warp, or cause to give way suddenly, as with heat or pressure.
verb (used without object)
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buckles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
buckled,
past participle, past
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buckling
present participle
-
to close or fasten with a buckle.
Grandmother always wore shoes that buckled.
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to prepare oneself or apply oneself.
The student buckled to the lesson.
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to bend, warp, bulge, or collapse.
The bridge buckled in the storm.
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to yield, surrender, or give way to another (often followed byunder ).
She refused to take the medicine, but buckled under when the doctor told her to.
verb phrase
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buckle up to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles.
She won't start the car until we've all buckled up.
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buckle down to set to work with vigor; concentrate on one's work.
He was by nature a daydreamer and found it hard to buckle down.
noun
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a clasp for fastening together two loose ends, esp of a belt or strap, usually consisting of a frame with an attached movable prong
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an ornamental representation of a buckle, as on a shoe
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a kink, bulge, or other distortion
a buckle in a railway track
verb
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to fasten or be fastened with a buckle
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to bend or cause to bend out of shape, esp as a result of pressure or heat
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bucklesimple
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bucklessimple
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have buckledperfect
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has buckledperfect
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am bucklingprogressive
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are bucklingprogressive
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is bucklingprogressive
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have been bucklingperfect progressive
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has been bucklingperfect progressive
Past
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buckledsimple
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had buckledperfect
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was bucklingprogressive
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were bucklingprogressive
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had been bucklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of buckle
1300–50; Middle English bocle < Anglo-French bo ( u ) cle, bucle < Latin buc ( c ) ula cheekpiece (of a helmet), strip of wood, etc., resembling a cheekpiece, equivalent to bucc ( a ) cheek + -ula -ule
Explanation
A buckle is a clasp or fastener, such as the one on the end of a belt. In the old days, not only belts but also shoes had buckles. When you fasten your belt buckle, you can say you buckle it — you also buckle your seat belt and buckle a kid's bike helmet under his chin. When the ground buckles during an earthquake, it folds or bends out of shape, and when your knees buckle, you could fall. You might also buckle under pressure or stress. The Latin root word is buccula, "cheek strap of a helmet."
Vocabulary lists containing buckle
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some of that extra weight was what caused the steel beams to buckle, Nathan Berman, managing principal and founder of MetroLoft, told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Balogun was sent off after his foot landed on the ankle of Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic, causing it to buckle.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The temperature of steel railway lines can rise to up to 20C above air temperatures in direct sunlight, causing them to expand and buckle.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
This approach enabled us to create a material that can bend, buckle, or stiffen differently under slow movements versus sudden impacts -- without electronics, sensors, or active control.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
He checks his rearview mirror as I buckle in, then carefully backs out of the parking spot.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
“We need more cowboy hats and belt buckles in Washington,” he wrote in a campaign post on July 15.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
As much of Europe buckles under the weight of mass tourism, Georgia is only now getting in on the action in earnest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
At the commission's headquarters near Arras, Stephan showed us trays of objects which had been found there, including parts of boots, rusted belt buckles, shoulder badges, buttons and regimental insignia.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025
He trains hard, mentally prepares himself and still buckles to fear.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025
I thought of Lettie and her friends, with their beautiful new dresses and pressed hair and shoes without buckles.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Richard Wilcock, Rail Magazine industry editor, said it was hard to know the cause without speculating, but photographs appeared to show "clearly a buckled track".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
I had only ever seen him on Zoom, and although he was tall, which was nice, I tried not to judge his brown cracked-leather buckled pilgrim shoes paired with high-waist Wrangler jeans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Elsewhere, vehicles on a two-lane road were seen carefully navigating sections of buckled pavement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The discovery of two buckled columns at the former Pfizer headquarters building in Midtown, which was undergoing an office-to-residential conversion, prompted a safety sweep by the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
I wanted to meet it head-on, to prove I could withstand its weight, but after a few seconds something in me buckled, some inner force gave way, and my eyes dropped to the floor.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Millions of people across the continent are currently "living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling", he added.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
They show riders from children to young people on a night out stepping into Waymos and buckling up, along with shots of Waymos swerving to avoid accidents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Forcing it to blink is not a costless enterprise, but buckling is not costless either.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
If you’re thinking about buckling up for safety, now would be a good time to jump into I bonds, especially if you were late to buy them before and missed the big upswing.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
His hat was askew, and he was still buckling his pants.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
