buckle

[ buhk-uhl ]

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)

, buck·led, buck·ling.

1. to fasten with a buckle or buckles:

   Buckle your seat belt.

2. to shrivel, by applying heat or pressure; bend; curl.
3. to prepare (oneself ) for action; apply (oneself ) vigorously to something.
4. to bend, warp, or cause to give way suddenly, as with heat or pressure.

   Synonyms: collapse, crumple, twist, bulge, sag

verb (used without object)

, buck·led, buck·ling.

1. to close or fasten with a buckle:

   Grandmother always wore shoes that buckled.

2. to prepare oneself or apply oneself:

   The student buckled to the lesson.

3. to bend, warp, bulge, or collapse:

   The bridge buckled in the storm.

4. to yield, surrender, or give way to another (often followed by under ):

   She refused to take the medicine, but buckled under when the doctor told her to.

verb phrase

1. to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles:

   She won't start the car until we've all buckled up.

2. to set to work with vigor; concentrate on one's work:

   He was by nature a daydreamer and found it hard to buckle down.

buckle

/ ˈbʌkəl /

noun

1. a clasp for fastening together two loose ends, esp of a belt or strap, usually consisting of a frame with an attached movable prong
2. an ornamental representation of a buckle, as on a shoe
3. a kink, bulge, or other distortion

   a buckle in a railway track

verb

1. to fasten or be fastened with a buckle
2. to bend or cause to bend out of shape, esp as a result of pressure or heat

Other Words From

• buckle·less adjective
• re·buckle verb rebuckled rebuckling

Word History and Origins

Origin of buckle¹

1300–50; Middle English bocle < Anglo-French bo ( u ) cle, bucle < Latin buc ( c ) ula cheekpiece (of a helmet), strip of wood, etc., resembling a cheekpiece, equivalent to bucc ( a ) cheek + -ula -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of buckle¹

C14: from Old French bocle , from Latin buccula a little cheek, hence, cheek strap of a helmet, from bucca cheek

Example Sentences

Images and a digital scan from an 2022 expedition carried out by deep-sea mapping company Magellan and documentary makers Atlantic Productions show that the railing was still attached - though it was starting to buckle.

From BBC

Her urban polish was a contrast to the stereotypical copper country getup of checkered shirt, western-style belt buckle, bolo tie and Stetson hat.

From Los Angeles Times

“And if the count is very close, we're going to get into lawsuits and recounts and all the rest of it. So everybody needs to buckle up.”

From BBC

You’ve probably seen its Buckle Ballerina flat everywhere, and this fall it’s launching a new silhouette that blends the delicate, feminine charm of a ballerina shoe with Ganni’s signature eyelet hardware.

From Los Angeles Times

He got a hat, he stopped wearing a uniform, he started wearing a big belt buckle and button-down shirts and a flack vest.

From Salon

Related Words

• bend
• cave in
• crumple
• fold
• twist