knuckle under
Yield under pressure
To knuckle under is to yield or submit to pressure or authority.
The phrase suggests reluctant capitulation—giving in when you'd rather not: After weeks of negotiations, the union finally knuckled under to management's demands.
Someone who knuckles under accepts defeat or backs down from a confrontation.
Yield under pressure
- succumbYield to pressure
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
- yieldProduce or relinquish
- cedeFormally surrender possession
relinquish · defer · bow · comply · give in · cave · fold · relent
capitulate
Yield under pressure
cede · relinquish · defer · bow · comply · give in · cave · fold · relent · bend
obey
Follow commands given
follow · toe the line · fall in line · go along · defer · adhere · assent · accept · consent · agree
bully
Habitual intimidator
- pressureForce upon contact
- intimidateInstill fear to control
- coerceObtain by intimidation
dominate · overpower · strong-arm · browbeat · cow · force · compel · threaten · bulldoze · steamroll
- conformityconformity, conforming, conform, conformist, conformism
- Giving Ingive in, back down, cave in, throw in the towel, wave the white flag
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
- Hierarchy termspecking order, junior, chain of command, secondary, totem pole
knuckle understand firm
Refuse to retreat
resist · hold out · stand one's ground · hold fast · dig in
knuckle underdominate
Control through superior strength
assert oneself · take charge · take command · prevail · triumph
under, underline, undermine, knuckle, undertake, underdog, knuckles, undercut, undervalue