knuckle under

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to give way under pressure or authority; yield

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knuckle under Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

People call New York a cesspool, but New Yorkers would never knuckle under to intolerance and let some lowlife get away with drawing swastikas.

From Literature

California-based chains considered their customers and their markets; they did not have to knuckle under to the marketing dictates of a distant headquarters.

From Los Angeles Times

Each, as it turned out, expected the other to knuckle under.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Netanyahu insisted that he had not knuckled under but merely done what the professionals had recommended.

From New York Times

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio knuckled under to protesters Sunday and promised to cut funding to “New York’s Finest.”

From Washington Times