cracking down (on)

verb

present participle of crack down (on)
as in sitting on
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force a repressive government that cracked down on political demonstrations

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking down (on)
  1. quelling
  2. suppressing
  3. subduing
  4. slapping down
Verb
  • There is something instructive in the agent concluding a diatribe on quelling revolutionary violence with a note about feeling inspired.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The break with Callaway was the first sign that Good Good’s attempts at quelling the crisis were not going well after Clark’s statement on social media Wednesday night.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of quelling
Verb
  • The regime remains capable of suppressing any organized resistance in the country, but the growing disaffection of the elite threatens to weaken the state from within.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
  • When the neurotoxin stops suppressing nerve signals to those muscles, the lines return.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppressing
Verb
  • The school's head teacher, Krzysztof Ochmanski, was injured while subduing the teenager, officials said.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The handful of Israeli passengers grappled with the copilot for several minutes before subduing him and binding his hands with the cord from a set of headphones.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of subduing
Verb
  • Interestingly, the new legal action is not slapping down the merger right now.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
  • As lawyers crowded in, Reddington could be seen slapping down a sheaf of papers.
    — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of slapping down
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.

Browse Nearby Words

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cracking down (on)
cracking (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Cracking down (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking%20down%20%28on%29. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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