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)
Verb
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Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026 -
In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The drug has already taught the field that powerfully suppressing this key cancer driver actually works.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
By suppressing appetite, the body can direct more energy toward the immune response.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
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Mario himself is played mostly straight by Pratt, subduing the exaggerated Italian accent from the games, while retaining the underdog aspect of a blue collar guy burdened with greater purpose.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The production runs for 2026 and 2027 are sold out, but future flyers can jump in the queue for the 2028 build now by slapping down a deposit of US$8,000.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Oct. 2025
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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 27 Apr. 2026.
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