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
-
Abreu quelled the inning, however, striking out Dylan Beavers and Coby Mayo swinging at sliders.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Apr. 2026 -
Everything is going according to plan so far with the launch of the Democratic Church of America; civil unrest is sure to follow, but the Seven should be able to quell any issues by recalling the supes overseas.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fungicides, for instance, are used to suppress disease-causing pathogens like blights and leaf spots, but might also impact beneficial microbes that live in flowers.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Researchers from the University of Bristol in England and the University at Buffalo in New York found that people actively trying to suppress food cravings were more likely to spend time watching indulgent food content online — yet ended up eating less of it afterward.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The celebration from general manager Bill Guerin was rather subdued after the Wild earned a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena to advance to the second round for the first time in more than a decade.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
-
Responding personnel subdued the knife-wielding man with a taser before the Metropolitan Police could arrive.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Elevated rooms—some villas sit on stilts above the jungle floor, giving full treehouse vibes—offer total immersion within the thick, humid jungle, underscored by wild birds, hypnotic cicadas, and the swing of mischievous monkeys.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Many sit on blue zone coastlines, and accommodations lean five-star, often with stunning architecture.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
5 May 2026
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 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
