knuckle
a joint of a finger, especially one of the articulations of a metacarpal with a phalanx.
the rounded prominence of such a joint when the finger is bent.
a joint of meat, consisting of the parts about the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped.
an angle or protrusion at the intersection of two members or surfaces, as in the timbers of a ship or in a roof.
a cylindrical projecting part on a hinge, through which an axis or pin passes; the joint of a hinge.
(in a wire mesh) a bend in a wire crossing another wire.
(on a chair arm) one of the ridges left at the front end by longitudinal flutes carved to accommodate the fingers.
Nautical. a pronounced edge formed by a change in the form of the shell of a hull.
to rub or press with the knuckles.
Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.
knuckle down,
to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
Also knuckle under. to submit; yield.
Origin of knuckle
1Other words from knuckle
- knuckly, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use knuckle in a sentence
The former open, relaxed, receptive, the latter, white knuckled focus, bearing down on the task at hand.
Jonah Lehrer’s Imagine Explores Creativity for Capitalists | Casey Schwartz | March 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTBut on the trail, Obama has yet to embrace the trend toward bare-knuckled female political empowerment.
The president was engaged in a bare-knuckled campaign to win a second term.
Obama did an artful job of creating an image of someone divorced from the nitty-gritty of hardball, brass-knuckled politics.
As summer recedes, booksellers are awash in white-knuckled tales of suspense.
Already have Harkaway and his hard-knuckled companion, Girdwood, been seen in Lenoir's society.
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks | Bracebridge HemyngThe plain was well-grassed, as high as Ling's knuckled knee.
The Devil's Asteroid | Manly Wade WellmanThe ferret-faced youth thrust out a thin, large-knuckled hand and tugged at Abdallahs robe.
The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill | John T. McIntyreHer shoulders are bowed from work, and her hands are gnarled and knuckled.
The New Boys at Oakdale | Morgan ScottBoth had listened to reason and had knuckled under rather than face possible lawsuits and certain publicity.
Cap'n Warren's Wards | Joseph C. Lincoln
British Dictionary definitions for knuckle
/ (ˈnʌkəl) /
a joint of a finger, esp that connecting a finger to the hand
a joint of veal, pork, etc, consisting of the part of the leg below the knee joint, often used in making stews or stock
the cylindrical portion of a hinge through which the pin passes
an angle joint between two members of a structure
near the knuckle informal approaching indecency
(tr) to rub or press with the knuckles
(intr) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble
Origin of knuckle
1- See also knuckle down, knuckle under
Derived forms of knuckle
- knuckly, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with knuckle
In addition to the idioms beginning with knuckle
- knuckle down
- knuckle under
also see:
- rap someone's knuckles
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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