crackdown

1 of 2

noun

crack·​down ˈkrak-ˌdau̇n 

: 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

Synonyms

Verb

• quell
• suppress
• subdue
• sit on
• clamp down (on)

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

Noun

China is quietly investigating and detaining executives in the country as part of a ballooning corruption crackdown, The Economist wrote. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025

Podcaster Theo Von has also publicly demanded that DHS remove clips of him used in an immigration crackdown video, and requested payment for the use of his footage. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025

Verb

Federal and state regulators are ramping up enforcement, with attorneys general from 38 states urging the FDA to crack down on counterfeit distributors, according to a report from the National Association of Attorneys General. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025

The answer is that China had cracked down on another political movement, this one in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020. —Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for crackdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown
• knockdown

Kids Definition

crack down

verb

ˈkrak-ˈdau̇n

: to take strong action especially to control or put down

crack down on crime

crackdown

-ˌdau̇n

noun