buckle

[ buhk-uhl ]

/ ˈbʌk əl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR buckle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

any similar contrivance used for such purposes.

an ornament of metal, beads, etc., of similar appearance.

a bend, bulge, or kink, as in a board or saw blade.

verb (used with object), buck·led, buck·ling.

to fasten with a buckle or buckles: Buckle your seat belt.

to shrivel, by applying heat or pressure; bend; curl.

to prepare (oneself) for action; apply (oneself) vigorously to something.

to bend, warp, or cause to give way suddenly, as with heat or pressure.

verb (used without object), buck·led, buck·ling.

to close or fasten with a buckle: Grandmother always wore shoes that buckled.

to prepare oneself or apply oneself: The student buckled to the lesson.

to bend, warp, bulge, or collapse: The bridge buckled in the storm.

to yield, surrender, or give way to another (often followed by under): She refused to take the medicine, but buckled under when the doctor told her to.

Verb Phrases

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.

buckle up, to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles: She won't start the car until we've all buckled up.

Words nearby buckle

buckish, buckjump, buckjumper, buckjumping, buckland, buckle, buckle down, buckle under, buckle up, buckler, buckler fern

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

SYNONYMS FOR buckle

8 sag, bulge, twist; crumple, collapse.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR buckle ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM buckle

buck·le·less, adjectivere·buck·le, verb, re·buck·led, re·buck·ling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for buckle down (1 of 2)

buckle down

verb

(intr, adverb) informal to apply oneself with determinationto buckle down to a job

British Dictionary definitions for buckle down (2 of 2)

buckle

/ (ˈbʌkəl) /

noun

a clasp for fastening together two loose ends, esp of a belt or strap, usually consisting of a frame with an attached movable prong

an ornamental representation of a buckle, as on a shoe

a kink, bulge, or other distortiona buckle in a railway track

verb

to fasten or be fastened with a buckle

to bend or cause to bend out of shape, esp as a result of pressure or heat

Word Origin for buckle

C14: from Old French bocle, from Latin buccula a little cheek, hence, cheek strap of a helmet, from bucca cheek

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with buckle down

buckle down

Set to work, apply oneself with determination, as in All right, we'll buckle down now and study for exams. Originating about 1700 as buckle to, the expression gained currency with the football song “Buckle-Down, Winsocki” (from the Broadway musical comedy Best Foot Forward, 1941). [Mid-1800s]

buckle

noun

verb (used with object), buck·led, buck·ling.

verb (used without object), buck·led, buck·ling.

Verb Phrases

Words related to buckle

Words nearby buckle

Origin of buckle

SYNONYMS FOR buckle

OTHER WORDS FROM buckle

British Dictionary definitions for buckle down (1 of 2)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for buckle down (2 of 2)

noun

verb

Word Origin for buckle

Idioms and Phrases with buckle down