crackdown

1 of 2

noun

crack·​down ˈkrak-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce crackdown (audio)
: 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

Examples of crackdown in a Sentence

Noun Companies that pollute are the target of a new crackdown.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The crackdown comes as its rival Netflix has attributed a jump in signups from its recent crackdown on password sharing. Krystal Hur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024 The crackdown by federal investigators comes as some of the country’s biggest consumer brands have come under broad scrutiny for child labor in their domestic supply chains amid revelations that children are working throughout American manufacturing and food production. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024 Myanmar is locked in a civil war between the military on one side and, on the other, a loose alliance of ethnic minority rebels and an armed movement which emerged in response to the junta’s bloody crackdown on anti-coup protests. Reuters, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024 Washington — The number of migrants apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border dipped in March, internal government statistics obtained by CBS News show, a surprising trend that American officials say mainly stems from an immigration crackdown by the Mexican government. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024 The password crackdown had been expected for months. Cnn, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024 Related: What does America’s crackdown on Chinese firms mean for the U.S. biotech sector? James C. Robinson, STAT, 29 Mar. 2024 Mexico’s crackdown on immigration in recent months – at the urging of the Biden administration – has hit Venezuelans especially hard. Christopher Sherman, Elliot Spagat, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024 Consider this the sequel to another crackdown held earlier this year. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
This seemingly golden moment lasted only a short time before the military cracked down on the ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine State, in the country’s northwest, in a campaign that has been widely condemned as genocide. Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024 Police brutally cracked down on the protesters, sparking a nationwide movement. Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024 China has repeatedly cracked down on bitcoin and crypto trading in the country, most recently in 2021. Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024 In more recent years, a dozen young lemonade vendors in states ranging from New York to California made news when local authorities cracked down on their unlicensed driveway businesses. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024 His engagement reflected Trump’s desire to crack down on Chinese investment in the United States. Tony Romm, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024 In January, Costco started rolling out new technology, requiring members to scan their cards at some store entrances, in an effort to crack down on membership sharing and nonmember walk-ins. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2024 In its ongoing mission to crack down on freeloaders, Costco has turned its attention to its beloved food courts. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024 But to pro-Palestinian supporters, Mr. Marcus was using the definition to try to crack down on their speech. Vimal Patel, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

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.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crackdown was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near crackdown

crackbrain

crackdown

crack down

Cite this Entry

“Crackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackdown. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

crack down

verb
ˈkrak-ˈdau̇n
: to take strong action especially to control or put down
crack down on crime
crackdown
-ˌdau̇n
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on crackdown

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