knuckle under
(intr, adverb) to give way under pressure or authority; yield
Words Nearby knuckle under
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
How to use knuckle under in a sentence
That if a child were coming, Ken would have to knuckle under.
Class of '29 | Orrie Lashin and Milo HastingsUpon which the man would knuckle under and go away forgiven, with a large order for more goods.
Love Among the Chickens | P. G. WodehouseHe had better knuckle under at once, as Dick had done, and enjoy a quiet time.
Follow My leader | Talbot Baines ReedIt's more for the lark of the thing, and to show Chard we don't mean to knuckle under, than for the sake of a show.
Gunpowder Treason and Plot | Harold AveryThis ship I've built and loved like a child isn't going to knuckle under to any man living.
The Iron Pirate | Max Pemberton
Other Idioms and Phrases with knuckle under
Also, knuckle down. Give in, acknowledge defeat, as in The dean refused to knuckle under to the graduate students' demands, or He was forced to knuckle down before their threats of violence. Presumably this idiom alludes to a kneeling position with hands on the ground, knuckles down. [Mid-1700s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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