cracked down; cracking down; cracks down
: to take positive regulatory or disciplinary action
Synonyms
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
Anika Seth, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Like those fascist leaders, Trump is promising conflict — from a vast immigration crackdown to vowing retribution against his political enemies.
—Alan Green / Made By History, TIME, 25 June 2024
Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Biden has tried to crack down on border crossings with a recent executive action, and also has created a pathway for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to gain legal standing.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for crackdown 
Noun
Raisi oversaw a security crackdown during which more than 500 people were killed, according to a tally from the nongovernmental organization Iran Human Rights.
—Anika Seth, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Like those fascist leaders, Trump is promising conflict — from a vast immigration crackdown to vowing retribution against his political enemies.
—Alan Green / Made By History, TIME, 25 June 2024
Verb
Deadly violence in Kenya's capital as police crack down
0:45
Kenyan Defense Secretary Aden Duale on Tuesday deployed the military to support the national police in responding to the protests.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Biden has tried to crack down on border crossings with a recent executive action, and also has created a pathway for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to gain legal standing.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for crackdown
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crackdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crackdown
Cite this Entry
“Crackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackdown. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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