truckle

American  

[truhk-uhl] / ˈtrʌk əl /

noun

1. truckle bed.

2. a pulley.

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verb (used without object)

truckled, truckling

1. to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely (usually followed byto ).

   Don't truckle to unreasonable demands.

   Synonyms:

   kowtow, concede, bow, grovel

truckle ¹ British  

/ ˈtrʌkəl /

noun

1. a small wheel; caster

2. a small barrel-shaped cheese

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verb

1. (intr) to roll on truckles

2. (tr) to push (a piece of furniture) along on truckles

truckle ² British  

/ ˈtrʌkəl /

verb

1. to yield weakly; give in

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Other Word Forms

• truckler
  noun
• trucklingly
  adverb
• untruckled
  adjective
• untruckling
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of truckle

First recorded in 1375–1425 truckle for def. 2; truckle def. 1 was first recorded in 1630–40; truckle def. 3 in 1665–75; late Middle English noun trocle, trokel “sheave, roller,” from Anglo-French, from Latin trochlea; the verb is a special use of obsolete truckle “to sleep on a truckle bed” (because such beds were stored underneath a standard bed); see origin at trochlea

Explanation

A truckle is a trundle, a bed that tucks neatly underneath a higher bed. It's also a verb meaning to figuratively slide beneath, or submit to, the will of a more powerful person. If you're in thrall to a charismatic, famous, or fearsome person, you may find yourself tempted to truckle: in other words, to agree with whatever they say, yield to their opinions, and otherwise make yourself (metaphorically) smaller. The original 16th-century meaning of truckle was "small wheel," like the wheels on the bottom of a trundle — or truckle — bed. The figurative truckle, "to bend obsequiously to another person," emerged in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

“A criminal could hide tonnes away and then pass them slowly, truckle by truckle, into supply chains,” says Ben Lambourne of the online retailer Pong Cheese.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2024

“It was only where there was this defiance, this refusal to truckle, this distrust of all authority, political or social, that institutions would express human aspirations, not crush them.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2020

Now would the assembly truckle to Parliament’s authority?

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

“His paintings make small people large, and large people tiny,” she writes, adding, “he doesn’t truckle to either.”

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2016

“I don’t truckle, and I hate being patronized as much as you do!” returned Amy indignantly, for the two still jangled when such questions arose.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott