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
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO launched a bombing campaign against Serbian forces responsible for a brutal crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
China had been publicly pushing the junta to crack down on cross-border crime targeting Chinese nationals.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
But such crackdowns only amplified public frustration.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO launched a bombing campaign against Serbian forces responsible for a brutal crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
The state of Florida has cracked down on homelessness over the last few years, including passing controversial laws that criminalized sleeping outdoors and encouraged individuals to sue local governments over homelessness.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
China had been publicly pushing the junta to crack down on cross-border crime targeting Chinese nationals.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share