clamp·down
ˈklamp-ËŒdaù‡n 
: 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
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 5 May 2026
China’s new clampdown on drone sales and even the storage of drone components within the capital of Beijing stands out in a country that effectively built the global market for affordable commercial drones.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Reuters Google’s embrace of defense work shows how far employee activism has weakened as the company clamps down on internal dissent and chases AI-era government contracts.
—Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 4 May 2026
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Noun
Detroit then went to Orlando and extended its hopes yet again — crawling out of a 24-point hole through a historic clampdown.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 5 May 2026
China’s new clampdown on drone sales and even the storage of drone components within the capital of Beijing stands out in a country that effectively built the global market for affordable commercial drones.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Ethics reform that would clamp down on congressional stock investing is popular across the political spectrum, with a majority of Americans supporting rules that put taxpayers on equal footing with their representatives.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Reuters Google’s embrace of defense work shows how far employee activism has weakened as the company clamps down on internal dissent and chases AI-era government contracts.
—Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clampdown
Cite this Entry
“Clampdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clampdown. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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