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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Phillies starters Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo did an excellent job quelling Ohtani in the NLDS, keeping him 0-for-6 with four strikeouts.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025 -
Rather than quelling terrorist attacks, permanently suppressing Palestinian aspirations would likely fuel an endless insurgency.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pocketbook issues – high prices of goods, inflation and possible weakening in the labor market – are suppressing sentiment.—
Joanne Hsu,
The Conversation,
10 Oct. 2025
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This group includes patients undergoing cancer treatment, transplant recipients and individuals taking immune-suppressing medications.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Giants won in all kinds of encouraging ways while subduing the wild-card-leading Cubs in a 5-2 victory Tuesday night.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
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The two also showed a demonstration of what a K9 takedown looks like, with Humphries acting as a target and K9 Bob subduing him.—
Richard Requena,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 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 16 Oct. 2025.
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