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
One Free Press Coalition, Time, 1 May 2025
If the rule is adopted, the ensuing crackdown could be sweeping.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 1 May 2025
Trump has pushed the limits of presidential power, used wartime authorities to crack down on immigration, punished his political enemies and launched a trade war that has upended global relationships.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
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Noun
The 77-year-old media entrepreneur and British citizen founded the newspaper Apple Daily which has since been shuttered in China’s crackdown on pro-democracy advocacy and journalism.
—One Free Press Coalition, Time, 1 May 2025
If the rule is adopted, the ensuing crackdown could be sweeping.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
Speaking of the Senate: That chamber on Monday fully passed Senate Bill 20, which seeks to crack down on chronically neglectful landlords by allowing government authorities to temporarily take control of run-down apartment buildings.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 1 May 2025
Trump has pushed the limits of presidential power, used wartime authorities to crack down on immigration, punished his political enemies and launched a trade war that has upended global relationships.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
Cite this Entry
“Crackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackdown. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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