crackdown

1 of 2

noun

crack·​down ˈkrak-ˌdau̇n 

: an act or instance of cracking down

crack down

2 of 2

verb

cracked down; cracking down; cracks down

intransitive verb

: to take positive regulatory or disciplinary action

Synonyms

Verb

• clamp down (on)
• crush
• put down
• quash
• quell
• repress
• silence
• slap down
• snuff (out)
• squash
• squelch
• subdue
• suppress

Examples of crackdown in a Sentence

Noun

Companies that pollute are the target of a new crackdown.

Verb

a repressive government that cracked down on political demonstrations

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Authorities have used the morality police to enforce the strict dress code in a crackdown since the protests that swept the country two years ago. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024

Unlike Ade, who directly experienced the heat of the military crackdown from the capital, Timoteus grew up in a small city in Sumatra. —Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

But Maduro reneged on the agreement and instead cracked down on his critics, detaining political opponents and human rights defenders, disqualifying opposition candidates and prosecuting critics on politically motivated charges. —Tirana Hassan, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

The income tax on tips had been poorly enforced for decades, and Congress tried a couple of times to crack down. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

crack down

verb

ˈkrak-ˈdau̇n

: to take strong action especially to control or put down

crack down on crime

crackdown

-ˌdau̇n

noun