cracked down; cracking down; cracks down
: to take positive regulatory or disciplinary action
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
Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 May 2026
Lai, 78, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apply Daily, has become a symbol of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following the city’s sweeping national security law imposed in 2020.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2026
Jeff A. Chamer
may 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2026
It is cracked down the middle; it’s broken.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
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Noun
Given the authoritarian nature of the government and its control of the media, the full, brutal extent of these crackdowns are never seen by those inside the country, much less by foreigners.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 May 2026
Lai, 78, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apply Daily, has become a symbol of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following the city’s sweeping national security law imposed in 2020.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2026
Verb
Since the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled against the arcades in 2022, police have started cracking down.
—Jeff A. Chamer
may 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2026
It is cracked down the middle; it’s broken.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
Cite this Entry
“Crackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackdown. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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