knuckle
[ nuhk-uh l ]
/ ˈnʌk əl /
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,
- to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
- 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
knuck·ly, adjectiveWords nearby knuckle
knt., knub, knubbly, knubby, knuck, knuckle, knuckle ball, knuckle down, knuckle joint, knuckle pads, knuckle sandwich
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for knuckle down (1 of 2)
knuckle down
verb
(intr, adverb) informal to apply oneself diligentlyto knuckle down to some work
British Dictionary definitions for knuckle down (2 of 2)
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, adjectiveWord 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 down
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 down (1 of 2)
knuckle down
Apply oneself seriously to some task or goal, as in The professor insisted that we knuckle down and get our papers in by Friday. Both this term and the rhyming synonym buckle down date from the 1860s, but the precise allusion in either is unclear.
See knuckle under.
Idioms and Phrases with knuckle down (2 of 2)
knuckle
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.