1 B2 idiomatic neutral
To yield or submit to pressure, demands, or stress after trying to resist.
"The government finally buckled under public pressure and reversed the unpopular policy."
buckle under
B2 neutral intransitive
To yield or collapse under pressure, stress, or demands; to be unable to maintain resistance.
In plain English
To give up and stop fighting because the pressure is just too much to handle.
What does "buckle under" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
For a physical structure to collapse or bend inward under a heavy load.
"The old bridge buckled under the weight of the convoy."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
For a structure or material to bend and give way because of a weight or force pressing down on it.
Actually means
To give up and stop fighting because the pressure is just too much to handle.
Usage tip
Used both literally (of physical structures collapsing under weight) and metaphorically (of people or organizations yielding under pressure). The metaphorical sense is far more common.
Words that pair with "buckle under"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
pressure stress demands strain weight scrutiny
How to conjugate "buckle under"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
buckle under
I/you/we/they
3rd person
buckles under
he/she/it
Past simple
buckled under
yesterday
Past participle
buckled under
have + pp
-ing form
buckling under
continuous
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