1 C1 idiomatic formal
To yield to authority or pressure; to submit to someone's demands.
"The workers refused to knuckle to the factory owner's unfair new rules."
inseparable
knuckle to
C1 formal inseparable intransitive
To submit or yield to authority, pressure, or someone's will; an archaic variant of 'knuckle under'.
In plain English
To give up fighting and do what someone powerful wants you to do.
What does "knuckle to" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To bend one's knuckles toward someone, as a gesture of submission.
Actually means
To give up fighting and do what someone powerful wants you to do.
Usage tip
This is an archaic or old-fashioned expression rarely used in modern English. 'Knuckle under' has almost completely replaced it. May appear in 19th-century literature.
Words that pair with "knuckle to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
authority demands pressure superior power
How to conjugate "knuckle to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
knuckle to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
knuckles to
he/she/it
Past simple
knuckled to
yesterday
Past participle
knuckled to
have + pp
-ing form
knuckling to
continuous
Hear "knuckle to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "knuckle to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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