Dictionary.com

knuckle

[ nuhk-uhl ]
/ ˈnʌk əl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR knuckle

noun

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

to rub or press with the knuckles.
Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.

Verb Phrases

knuckle down,
  1. to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
  2. Also knuckle under. to submit; yield.

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Origin of knuckle

1325–75; Middle English knokel (akin to Dutch kneukel,German Knöchel), diminutive of a word represented by Dutch knok,German Knochen bone; see -le

OTHER WORDS FROM knuckle

knuckly, adjective

Words nearby knuckle

Knt., knub, knubbly, knubby, knuck, knuckle, knuckleball, knuckleballer, knucklebone, knucklebones, knuckle down
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to knuckle

defer, surrender, agree, acknowledge, quit, perish, go down, wilt, buckle, yield, bow, pass away, cease, capitulate, give in, cave in, break down, give way, relinquish, cede

Example sentences from the Web for knuckle

British Dictionary definitions for knuckle

knuckle
/ (ˈnʌkəl) /

noun

verb

(tr) to rub or press with the knuckles
(intr) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble
See also knuckle down, knuckle under

Derived forms of knuckle

knuckly, adjective

Word Origin for knuckle

C14: related to Middle High German knöchel, Middle Low German knoke bone, Dutch knok
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

Medical definitions for knuckle

knuckle
[ nŭk′əl ]

n.

The prominence of the dorsal aspect of a joint of a finger, especially of one of the joints that connect the fingers to the hand.
A rounded protuberance formed by the bones in a joint.
A kink or loop of intestine, as in a hernia.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with knuckle

knuckle
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.