CLAMP DOWN (ON) Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

clamp down (on)

verb

Definition of clamp down (on)

as in to quell

to put a stop to (something) by the use of force the need to clamp down on petty crime in the city

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for clamp down (on)

Verb

Sebastien Salom-Gomis | Afp | Getty Images Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has said 70,000 police and gendarmes — a military police force — will be deployed in efforts to quell any outbreaks of violence.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
And despite claiming to be the one and only democracy in the Middle East, the Israeli government has weaponized anti-Semitism to defend its crimes against the Palestinian people and quell any resistance or critique against it.

— CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of quell

Verb

Opponents argued that the measure would've suppressed voter turnout with additional hurdles for those attempting to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Russian attacks knocked out power and water across Kyiv for hours, as Ukraine said its air defenses downed or suppressed 272 of 310 drones overnight.

— Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of suppress

Verb

Our thesis hasn't entirely gone according to plan, as housing market activity remains subdued.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Fast forward 60 years, and Washington was not interested in raising the numbers of troops necessary to subdue Iraq, a country of nearly 30 million.

— S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of subdue

Verb

Four commissioners sit on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court along with the county judge as the governing body of the county.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
As drawn, the hotel and the grocer sit on the traffic-heavy south side of the plot, shielding a public lawn and green space from cars and a parking lot.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of sit on

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clamp down

clamp down (on)

clamped

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“Clamp down (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clamp%20down%20%28on%29. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of clamp down (on)

verb

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