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
-
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
-
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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
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:
Previously, a customer buying a belt buckle was nudged toward a matching belt or hat, items that closely related to the original purchase, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Higher insurance costs could cause some homeowners to buckle under the financial pressure, Cotality said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Concrete slabs between the homes had started to crack or buckle, with some of the fissures running all the way up to or under the homes’ walls, the news outlet reported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
These engineered structures are designed to bend, buckle and snap in controlled ways that provide useful functions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Under his neutral gaze her throat constricted and her voice began to buckle.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
"So they detach the slow-growing gut, which is now tethering the lengthening body. The body buckles and twists into coiling," Miyashita explains.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
“We need more cowboy hats and belt buckles in Washington,” he wrote in a campaign post on July 15.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Just every department: boots, hats, belt, buckles, T-shirts, Western shirts,” store co-owner Julie Newport told The Times of Haaland’s purchases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
A third possibility is that Cuba buckles under the weight of the massive economic pressure it is facing, which has already led to hours-long daily blackouts and massive food shortages on the island.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
The metal buckles on his slippers stung like bites from giant mosquitoes.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
UCLA’s offense got off to a sluggish start against San Diego State, but its defense never buckled and the Bruins eventually earned a lopsided win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The last remaining big Wall Street holdouts have buckled under.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Town hall-hopefuls have also pledged to clean up graffiti-covered train stations, end "forever-building sites", fix buckled cycling lanes and take steps to ease a desperate shortage of affordable housing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Gauff hit a trio of unreturned first serves - all just under the 120mph mark, teeing up three match points as Sonmez buckled on the first after a short rally.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
About a half hour later, the tank’s legs buckled and broke, sending it crashing into a pipeline carrying fuel.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
A few takeaways: Companies are buckling up for a higher-yield environment; spreads—the amount a company pays above a benchmark Treasury—may widen; and those issuing debt may do so with shorter, cheaper, maturities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Christine Ji and Hannah Pedone looked into the reasons for the buckling AI trade, with more than two-thirds of stocks in the S&P 500 information technology sector down at least 20% from their recent highs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Video from inside the building shows the buckling beam.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
With Cuba's economy buckling five months into a US-imposed fuel blockade, and the national housing deficit running to over 900,000 units, authorities say a quick fix is unlikely.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Vera was sitting on the edge of a chair, with her right foot hoisted upon another chair, buckling her shoes.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
