as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
a repressive government that cracked down on political demonstrations
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack down (on)
Verb
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Khamenei often used the broad range of powers at his disposal to quell dissent.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026 -
In Utah Territory the US government cracked down on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its impressive theocracy, seeking to quell religious dissent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bondi wants to suppress, or at least stall, state Bar investigations against them.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
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Which stories persist, which fade and which are actively suppressed are decisions increasingly made by private companies rather than public institutions.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even so, the reaction of the market has been relatively subdued, said David Butter, an energy expert on the Middle East at the Chatham House think tank.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Video from the scene shows a security detail member being taken to the ground as officers worked to subdue the suspects.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The four characters sit on chairs, facing the audience.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The device is compact enough to sit on a desk, a major shift from existing systems that often require large laboratory setups.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Crack down (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack%20down%20%28on%29. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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