- 1[transitive, intransitive] to fasten something or be fastened with a buckle buckle (something) She buckled her belt. buckle (something on/up) He buckled on his sword. These shoes buckle at the side.
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- 2[intransitive, transitive] to become crushed or bent under a weight or force; to crush or bend something in this way The steel frames began to buckle under the strain. (figurative) A weaker man would have buckled under the pressure. buckle something The crash buckled the front of my car.
- 3[intransitive] when your knees or legs buckle or when you buckle at the knees, your knees become weak and you start to fall Phrasal Verbsbuckle downbuckle up
buckle
verbNAmE//ˈbʌkl//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they buckle he / she / it buckles
past simple buckled
-ing form buckling
Check pronunciation: buckle