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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Sales of the iPhone have also been instrumental in quelling Wall Street’s concerns about where the company stands in the AI race.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026 -
Some of Altman’s and OpenAI’s social media push over the weekend seemed aimed at quelling concerns among the company’s own employees over the Pentagon contract.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In my case, treatment looks like temporarily suppressing the adenomyosis with Lupron injections before attempting another embryo transfer to create the best possible environment for implantation.—
L'Oreal Thompson Payton,
SELF,
6 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic was violently suppressing antigovernment protests across the country.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Multiple officers were involved in subduing Guity and placing him in handcuffs, police said.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
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As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
5 Jan. 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 11 Mar. 2026.
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