How to Use knuckle down in a Sentence

knuckle down

verb
  • In survival mode, many brands have been forced to knuckle down and fortify their business strategies, in hopes of setting them up for success against a difficult backdrop.
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Bunnie is knuckling down to help women escaping domestic violence.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
  • After a 3-1 defeat at Fulham in September, Howe pulled Isak aside and told him to knuckle down.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Is Stamford Bridge the best place to rejuvenate a ferociously talented player who needs to knuckle down?
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Teams will use the five-week gap between the races in Japan and Miami to knuckle down at their factories and develop car upgrades that could boost their fortunes upon returning to the track in May.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Shi seemed confident that Strand Larsen, who was keen to join Newcastle United before the deadline, will knuckle down despite Wolves rejecting two bids.
    — Steve Madeley, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • European countries need to knuckle down and increase their military capabilities while Russia is still dedicating a chunk of its forces to its invasion of Ukraine, Sweden's defense minister has said.
    — Ellie Cook — Reporting From Prague, Czech Republic, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knuckle down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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