Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The last remaining big Wall Street holdouts have buckled under.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Lisandro Martinez: Experience vital on a day when the home side might have buckled.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Nathan Berman, managing principal and founder of MetroLoft, said that the steel columns may have buckled because they hadn’t been properly reinforced to support the extra weight of the new additions to the property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Nothing has proved this more than our current year, with two catastrophes that would have buckled, if not outright destroyed, other cities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
The pressure might have buckled a lesser individual, but no one was more up to the task than Katherine Johnson.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
