as in quells
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
the need to clamp down on petty crime in the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clamps down (on)
Verb
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While the presumption was always that Messi would renew with the Herons, the news quells any lingering anxiety.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025 -
Twenty years later, an adult Guinevere is building her ghostwriting career when her estranged artist brother announces an installation titled Mother, which quells disturbing revelations in Guinevere.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Anderson, who both wrote and directed the film, suppresses psychological complexity, creating characters who are little more than abstractions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Oct. 2025
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Lower Stress Chronic stress suppresses your immune response and can eventually lead to an increase in inflammation.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For those who are more into curves than angles, the Bialetti Moon takes all the functional elements of the moka stovetop espresso maker and subdues them with a rounded stainless steel silhouette.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That timing hasn’t been lost on the festival’s critics, who say the high-profile American comics are lending legitimacy to a government that represses dissent, jails activists and restricts free speech.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Clamps down (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clamps%20down%20%28on%29. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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