buckle 1 of 2

verb

Definition of bucklenext
1
as in to collapse
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure the flimsy bridge buckled under the weight of the caravan of trucks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to devote
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention buckled himself down and finished the assignment in record time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

buckle

2 of 2

noun

as in loop

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buckle
Verb
Late May to mid June – Tension rises The Fever’s championship expectations began to buckle after consecutive losses to Golden State and expansion Portland. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 His characters confront moments of reckoning—some comic, others karmic, often both—where self-belief collides with a buckling status quo. — Ryan Chapman, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
Surface tree roots may also push their way through sidewalk cracks or buckle pavement in driveways. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 28 Sep. 2026 For women, a plaid dress featured a keyhole detail set off by a shoe buckle — shoes being an unlikely inspiration for the collection. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for buckle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buckle
  1. collapse
  2. devote
  3. loop
  4. go
  5. apply
  6. fold
  7. give
  8. spiral
Verb
  • One of those companies collapsed as its stock price plummeted 99%.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase briefly collapsed on the court during Friday’s playoff win over the Dallas Wings.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Rivera said reading Against All Hope, Cuban political prisoner Armando Valladares’ memoir, while attending FIU persuaded him to abandon plans to become a sportswriter and devote his life to political and human-rights causes.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Sessions, in a letter seeking leniency that was read into the record by his chief of staff, said his former congressional colleague devoted decades to public service, much of it focused on defending liberty and democracy.
    — Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of devote
Noun
  • Not a crisis — yet The negative feedback loop becomes more dangerous when nominal economic growth falls to low levels, causing debt relative to the size of the economy to rise persistently, Reese said.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • What knocks him for a deadly loop is a powdered, pampered piece of work called Mildred (Elizabeth Teeter).
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of loop
Verb
  • But this is an album that’s apparently about the artist’s double life, and the questions that are bound to be at the forefront of any curious listener’s mind go unaddressed.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Her bravery reverberates across the country and the crimes against her will not go unpunished.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • Haynie may have been responding to reports specific to Syracuse, but his response applies to all colleges.
    — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Because the workers had troubles, that's why this settlement has been applied.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of apply
Noun
  • Parker’s hair was gathered into an enormous, layered, fishtail braid that starts high on the back of her head with a bow, its ends interlaced intermittently with the incredibly thick folds of the plaits.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The removal of a fuel subsidy scheme in particular has raised petrol prices over five-fold since 2023.
    — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fold
Verb
  • Its winner, whether filmmaker or rights holder, will give the platform an exclusive license to show the film for a limited period.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Intense sound effects—such as the exceptionally long reverberation and echoes inside the Blue Demon tomb—gave a dramatic soundtrack to this intense, immersive experience.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of give
Noun
  • In Proserpina, eleven vertical yellow wooden rods, enrobed in layers of gray and maroon wire netting, increase in length around a wire-mesh spiral that reaches three feet at its tallest point.
    — Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Fed officials have emphasized that wages are not a significant source of inflation, with the lack of evidence of a wage-price spiral an important distinction when calibrating policy.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of spiral

Browse Nearby Words

bucking up
buckle
buckled
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Cite this Entry

“Buckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buckle. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on buckle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about buckle

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