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BUCKLING

 - 3 dictionary results

buck⋅le

  [buhk-uhl] noun, verb, -led, -ling.
Use BUCKLING in a Sentence
–noun
1. a clasp consisting of a rectangular or curved rim with one or more movable tongues, fixed to one end of a belt or strap, used for fastening to the other end of the same strap or to another strap.
2. any similar contrivance used for such purposes.
3. an ornament of metal, beads, etc., of similar appearance.
4. a bend, bulge, or kink, as in a board or saw blade.
–verb (used with object)
5. to fasten with a buckle or buckles: Buckle your seat belt.
6. to shrivel, by applying heat or pressure; bend; curl.
7. to prepare (oneself) for action; apply (oneself) vigorously to something.
8. to bend, warp, or cause to give way suddenly, as with heat or pressure.
–verb (used without object)
9. to close or fasten with a buckle: Grandmother always wore shoes that buckled.
10. to prepare oneself or apply oneself: The student buckled to the lesson.
11. to bend, warp, bulge, or collapse: The bridge buckled in the storm.
12. to yield, surrender, or give way to another (often fol. by under): She refused to take the medicine, but buckled under when the doctor told her to.
—Verb phrases
13. buckle down, to set to work with vigor; concentrate on one's work: He was by nature a daydreamer and found it hard to buckle down.
14. buckle up, to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles: She won't start the car until we've all buckled up.
Origin:
1300–50; ME bocle < AF bo(u)cle, bucle < L buc(c)ula cheekpiece (of a helmet), strip of wood, etc., resembling a cheekpiece, equiv. to bucc(a) cheek + -ula -ule

Related forms:
buck⋅le⋅less, adjective

Synonyms:
8. sag, bulge, twist; crumple, collapse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To BUCKLING
buck·le   (bŭk'əl)   
n.  

  1. A clasp for fastening two ends, as of straps or a belt, in which a device attached to one of the ends is fitted or coupled to the other.

  2. An ornament that resembles this clasp, such as a metal square on a shoe or hat.

  3. An instance of bending, warping, or crumpling; a bend or bulge.

v.   buck·led, buck·ling, buck·les

v.   tr.

  1. To fasten with a buckle.

  2. To cause to bend, warp, or crumple.

v.   intr.

  1. To become fastened with a buckle.

  2. To bend, warp, or crumple, as under pressure or heat.

  3. To give way; collapse: My knees buckled with fear.

  4. To succumb, as to exhaustion or authority; give in: finally buckled under the excessive demands of the job.

Phrasal Verb(s):
buckle downTo apply oneself with determination.
buckle upTo use a safety belt, especially in an automobile.

[Middle English bokel, from Old French boucle, from Latin buccula, cheek strap of a helmet, diminutive of bucca, cheek.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

buckle  (n.)
"spiked metal ring for holding a belt, etc., 1340, from O.Fr. bocla, from L. buccula "cheek strap of a helmet," dim. of bucca "cheek."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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