clamp·down
ˈklamp-ˌdau̇n 
: the act or action of making regulations and restrictions more stringent
… a violent clampdown on suspected Communists …—
Marie Arana
Marie Arana
clamped down; clamping down; clamps down
: to impose restrictions : crack down
the police are clamping down on speeders
Examples of clampdown in a Sentence
Verb
the need to clamp down on petty crime in the city
Recent Examples on the Web
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
That invites questions about the match officials’ timekeeping and about the futility of a welcome clampdown on timewasting by goalkeepers when such an enormous amount of time is being lost to other stoppages.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit also intertwines recent university and state government decisions that, the complaint alleges, have created an environment keen to clamp down on freedom of speech and the press.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clampdown
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Noun
The clampdown is part of a push in Washington to limit the Asian nation’s ability to develop domestic chip supply.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
That invites questions about the match officials’ timekeeping and about the futility of a welcome clampdown on timewasting by goalkeepers when such an enormous amount of time is being lost to other stoppages.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
While this textile breaks the rule and its unique lattice pattern allows the textile to expand around the arm rather than clamp down, according to researchers.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit also intertwines recent university and state government decisions that, the complaint alleges, have created an environment keen to clamp down on freedom of speech and the press.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clampdown
Cite this Entry
“Clampdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clampdown. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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