Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

buckle under

Idioms  
  1. Give way, collapse owing to stress, as in One more heavy snowfall and the roof may buckle under, or She buckled under the strain of two jobs. [Late 1500s]


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:

They worried that Sheinbaum was beginning to buckle under the dual pressures from Trump and López Obrador.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 28, 2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's government presents its first budget on Tuesday, a spending plan he says will provide "the answer" for an economy starting to buckle under US tariffs.

From Barron's Nov. 4, 2025

The biscuit began to buckle under the weight of its own layers, the folds getting too heavy, too thin.

From Salon Mar. 20, 2025

He did not buckle under pressure from Miller and shrugged off huge right hands from Hrgovic, winning both crucial fights inside the distance.

From BBC Sep. 20, 2024

William’s health began to buckle under the strain.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training