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 of crackdown

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

Video obtained through a public records request shows the 5-year-old boy, who became a face of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis when he was detained while wearing a bunny hat, being flown with his father to Texas on a Delta Air Lines flight, just a day after they were taken into custody. —CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

If social media platforms are liable for any harm someone could blame on their content, serious crackdowns on a wide range of material could become warranted. —Elizabeth Nolan Brown, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026

Verb

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, has made headlines in the past few years for authoring bills that have cracked down on sweets with synthetic dyes like Skittles and instituted a timeline for getting healthier food in public schools. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026

Companies including Meta, Amazon, Salesforce, and Microsoft are cracking down to impose AI adoption within their workforce, mandating, monitoring, and evaluating the use of AI tools. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026

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