buckle down
(intransitive, originally, US, idiomatic) To apply oneself to study, or a task or work; to focus on or take a serious attitude towards something; to put forth the needed effort.
Seen in the wild
They just need to buckle down, cut back on non-essentials like "groceries" and pull themselves up by their bootstraps!
I have to have headphones and some music on to get in the zone properly these days. Which is great for work, but not ideal when I'm trying to get myself to buckle down and make some music...
Well looks like it might genuinely be time to buckle down and figure out how to wipw my phone and set up an androidOS fork.
i really ought to buckle down and relearn live2D. I did like a full tutorial years ago and made some stuff but i forgot most of it.
Alright, time to buckle down and download a lot of music for my stream playlist. All I want is a lot of chill Nintendo music so thankfully I know where to go for that
Definitions
(intransitive, originally, US, idiomatic) To apply oneself to study, or a task or work; to focus on or take a serious attitude towards something; to put forth the needed effort.
If he would buckle down and do his homework, he could be an excellent student.
“They just need to buckle down, cut back on non-essentials like "groceries" and pull themselves up by their bootstraps!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I have to have headphones and some music on to get in the zone properly these days. Which is great for work, but not ideal when I'm trying to get myself to buckle down and make some music...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Well looks like it might genuinely be time to buckle down and figure out how to wipw my phone and set up an androidOS fork.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“i really ought to buckle down and relearn live2D. I did like a full tutorial years ago and made some stuff but i forgot most of it.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Alright, time to buckle down and download a lot of music for my stream playlist. All I want is a lot of chill Nintendo music so thankfully I know where to go for that”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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Semantically related
- buck down75%
(slang, transitive, AAVE, idiomatic) To defeat (someone) in a challenge; to beat up or destroy (someone).
- buck for69%
(idiomatic, US, colloquial) To strive for persistently; to try hard to obtain (a promotion, raise, etc.).
- head down, bum up67%
(UK, slang) Hard at work; preparing oneself to work hard.
- get down65%
(informal, intransitive) To duck or take cover, usually to avoid harm. Commonly used as a caution or warning in the imperative.
- lock in65%
To focus intensely on a task; to commit fully. Often used in productivity / studying / gaming contexts.