as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
a repressive government that cracked down on political demonstrations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crack down (on)
Verb
-
But the comeback attempts staged by the visitors were repeatedly quelled by one of their greatest strengths.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025 -
In that case, Israeli soldiers fired live rounds into the air to disperse crowds, with the GHF seeking to quell concerns over its rocky first week of operations in a news release Wednesday.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
In his motion to dismiss Bragg’s case, Mangione’s lawyers argued his statements to officers after his arrest should be suppressed because he wasn’t informed of his rights, which the DA’s office contests.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
-
Young men might be more likely to suppress emotional expression, engage in risk-taking behavior, or use substances to cope with grief.—
Charell G. Coleman,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
One of the suspects had to be subdued with a stun gun.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
-
Investment spending picked up around 2016 but hit a wall with Covid, and has been subdued since.—
William Dunkelberg,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Crack down (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crack%20down%20%28on%29. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share