# knuckle

/ˈnəkəɫ/ (US) · /nˈʌkəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/knuckle
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. finger joint

noun · CEFR B2

the joints in your fingers where they bend.

For teachers: the joints between the phalanges of the fingers, or between the phalanges and the metacarpal bones.

- He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door to see if anyone was home.
- The cold weather made his knuckles swell, making it difficult for him to grip the steering wheel firmly during the morning commute.

### 2. cut of meat

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a cut of meat from the leg of an animal, like a pig or cow.

For teachers: a cut of meat from the knee or ankle joint of a quadruped, typically a pig or calf.

- We slow-cooked a ham knuckle until the meat fell off the bone.
- The traditional recipe calls for a smoked pork knuckle to be simmered for several hours with sauerkraut and juniper berries.

### 4. to work hard

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to start working very hard or focusing on a task.

For teachers: to apply oneself earnestly to a task; almost exclusively used in the phrasal verb 'knuckle down'.

- If you want to pass the exam, you need to knuckle down and study.
- With the deadline fast approaching, the design team had to knuckle down and finalise the blueprints before the board meeting.

### 5. to give in

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal

to stop fighting and accept someone else's power.

For teachers: to yield or submit to pressure; almost exclusively used in the phrasal verb 'knuckle under'.

- The small company refused to knuckle under to the big corporation's demands.
- Despite intense political pressure from the opposition, the prime minister refused to knuckle under and change the proposed legislation.

## Examples

- He scraped his knuckle while fixing the car.
- She rapped her knuckles against the wooden door to see if anyone was home.
- The boxer's knuckles were heavily taped to prevent fractures during the high-impact rounds of the championship match.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.