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
Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Economic woes sparked the protests, which broadened into a challenge to the theocracy before the crackdown, which activists say has killed at least 6,443 people.
—Sam McNeil and Jon Gambrell The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Keeping clean and precise transaction records to protect themselves is a must, as the Department of Justice and Customs and Border Protection have been tasked with cracking down on any attempts at tariff evasion.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crackdown
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Noun
Thousands of demonstrators were killed in the crackdown.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Economic woes sparked the protests, which broadened into a challenge to the theocracy before the crackdown, which activists say has killed at least 6,443 people.
—Sam McNeil and Jon Gambrell The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Cruz was responding to another post from Tehran Bureau, which cited a source inside Iran detailing what was described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground as security forces continued to crack down on demonstrations.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Keeping clean and precise transaction records to protect themselves is a must, as the Department of Justice and Customs and Border Protection have been tasked with cracking down on any attempts at tariff evasion.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 28 Jan. 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 31 Jan. 2026.
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