Idiom idiom
knuckle down
Meaning
To get to work; to focus on a task.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I need to knuckle down and finish my homework.”
“With the final exams approaching next week, the students decided to knuckle down and study in the library.”
“Recognizing that the project deadline was rapidly approaching, the team finally knuckled down to resolve the remaining technical challenges.”
Origin
first recorded 19th c.
first recorded 19th c.
First attested in 1864 in American English, the phrase originates in the game of marbles. The expression refers to the requirement that a player place their knuckles firmly on the ground before shooting.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026