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
-
The large police presence, with a handful of riot vans positioned between the protestors and the stadium entrance, quelled any threat of violence until a small flashpoint close to half-time — tear gas was briefly used to disperse activists who attempted to break through police barricades.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025 -
Those deployments provoked more protests, which, in turn, fuelled the Administration’s claims that troops are needed to quell them.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Their discoveries have opened new paths for therapies that either suppress or activate immune responses, depending on the disease.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Major evidence, including the alleged murder weapon, was suppressed as a result.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Their taste can be subdued by pairing them with ingredients like herbs and lemon juice, and they can be used in place of almost any fish.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Spiders have venom to subdue prey, but the majority have fangs that are too tiny to puncture human skin.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian media on Saturday that Kim will sit on Xi's left side during Wednesday's parade, with Putin in the place of honor on the right.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Tabletop This style is small enough to sit on your dining table, a dresser or other prominent display area in your home.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
1 Sep. 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 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share