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
ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
The suspension is the latest escalation in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on civil society, which has increasingly criminalized journalism, activism and political opposition.
—Ghaya Ben Mbarek, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Rob Wile, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
But small businesses and corporations are not eager to crack down on their own workers or be forced to do so by the federal government, Beck said.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
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Noun
At the peak of the crackdown, thousands were being arrested every week.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
The suspension is the latest escalation in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on civil society, which has increasingly criminalized journalism, activism and political opposition.
—Ghaya Ben Mbarek, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
On Friday, founder Shayne Coplan suggested Polymarket planned to continue to aggressively crack down on illicit activity on the platform.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
But small businesses and corporations are not eager to crack down on their own workers or be forced to do so by the federal government, Beck said.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 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 28 Apr. 2026.
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