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
Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
The president’s crackdown followed reports of fraudsters, allegedly primarily of Somali origin, stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding from the state’s social services programming.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Moments of levity early in the film, as when the protagonists engage in gallows humor, become increasingly rare as the Kremlin cracks down on independent news media and scattered anti-war demonstrations in the streets.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
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Noun
The immigration enforcement crackdown has sparked widespread fear among immigrants and citizens alike, and the child care sector is feeling the squeeze.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
The president’s crackdown followed reports of fraudsters, allegedly primarily of Somali origin, stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding from the state’s social services programming.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
Trump has pledged to crack down on sanctuary cities, vowing to withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that refuse compliance with federal immigration actions.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Moments of levity early in the film, as when the protagonists engage in gallows humor, become increasingly rare as the Kremlin cracks down on independent news media and scattered anti-war demonstrations in the streets.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Dec. 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 12 Dec. 2025.
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