crackdown

1 of 2

noun

crack·​down ˈkrak-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce crackdown (audio)
: an act or instance of cracking down

crack down

2 of 2

verb

cracked down; cracking down; cracks down

intransitive verb

: to take positive regulatory or disciplinary action

Examples of crackdown in a Sentence

Noun Companies that pollute are the target of a new crackdown. Verb a repressive government that cracked down on political demonstrations
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
On China, for example, Trump displayed a recurring willingness to give ground on other issues—the crackdown in Hong Kong, the repression in Xinjiang, the arrest of a senior executive of the Chinese tech company Huawei—in return for a better bilateral trade deal. Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024 Citizens organized mass protests across the country and were met with a brutal crackdown. Tirana Hassan, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
In the aftermath of that change, medical exemptions surged, with a cottage industry popping up of doctors specializing in granting exemptions, causing the legislature to crack down on those practices with SB 276. Andrew Keatts, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024 Earlier this year, Costco started cracking down on non-members that used someone else’s card, in addition to raising its membership fees for the first time in seven years. Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crackdown 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crackdown was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near crackdown

crackbrain

crackdown

crack down

Cite this Entry

“Crackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackdown. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

crack down

verb
ˈkrak-ˈdau̇n
: to take strong action especially to control or put down
crack down on crime
crackdown
-ˌdau̇n
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on crackdown

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!