CEFR C1

knuckle under

phrasal verb

Meaning

Yield to pressure or authority after a period of resistance.

Examples

The union leaders refused to knuckle under despite the company's threats of layoffs.
He eventually had to knuckle under to his father's demands and join the family business.

Synonyms: yield, submit, capitulate, cave in

Anaversity is an English-learning platform with private classes, Ani practice, and Campus tools for reading, listening, vocabulary, quizzes, level checks, and progress.

knuckle under (C1)

phrasal verb

Pronunciation: ˈnʌkəl ˈʌndər

Definition

Yield to pressure or authority after a period of resistance.

Examples

The union leaders refused to knuckle under despite the company's threats of layoffs.
He eventually had to knuckle under to his father's demands and join the family business.
She is too stubborn to knuckle under just because someone tells her to change her mind.

How to Use knuckle under

knuckle under to (prepositional phrase): to give in to a specific person or force — "He refused to knuckle under to their bullying."

Synonyms of knuckle under

Words with a similar meaning to knuckle under:

Antonyms of knuckle under

Words with the opposite meaning to knuckle under:

Browse the full Anaversity dictionary