cracked down; cracking down; cracks down
: to take positive regulatory or disciplinary action
Synonyms
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
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
The crackdown on Palestinian-solidarity activists has exposed the limits of the right’s hypocritical crusade for the expansion of speech rights on campus.
—Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 8 May 2024
Similar steps are being taken at colleges and universities across the country in the midst of large pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have spread across campuses in recent weeks, along with police crackdowns on many.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
But federal officials believe the main catalyst is an aggressive crackdown on U.S.-bound migrants by Mexican officials, who have ramped up efforts to stop migrants from boarding trains and buses that would take them closer to the American border.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Think back to 2020 after George Floyd was murdered and Trump promised a military crackdown on civil unrest.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2024
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday defended the police crackdown on campus protests there, which have become the epicenter of demonstrations seen around the country.
—Kristina Abovyan, ABC News, 5 May 2024
Police crackdowns, meanwhile, have triggered sharp criticism as authorities arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators and dismantle protests camps.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 3 May 2024
Related Articles Besides being nonsensical and cruel, zoning crackdowns like these can be unconstitutional.
—Daryl James, Orange County Register, 1 May 2024
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2024
But false claims that private money influenced the 2020 election led Georgia and 26 other states to pass laws cracking down on the use of outside money.
—USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2024
Filing Murder Charges: Just about every state in America has cracked down on fentanyl distribution by stepping up arrests and increasing prison sentences.
—Simon Romero Daniele Volpe, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Their efforts led the Kansas City Police Department to establish the 24th Street Task Force, which cracked down on crime in the area.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2024
With protests ongoing – and continued calls from the right to crack down on them – many university administrators resorted to calling on the police and the National Guard, working with them to remove student protesters from campus.
—Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, The Conversation, 26 Apr. 2024
The governor pledged to crack down on street crime and dispatched dozens of California Highway Patrol officers to bolster Bay Area policing.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The state is now cracking down, levying a $251,580 fine in March.
—Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
And efforts to crack down on crime targeting carriers may be paying off.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
Noun
In the ensuing police crackdown, more than 2,500 have been arrested or detained, according to a New York Times analysis.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
The crackdown on Palestinian-solidarity activists has exposed the limits of the right’s hypocritical crusade for the expansion of speech rights on campus.
—Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 8 May 2024
Similar steps are being taken at colleges and universities across the country in the midst of large pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have spread across campuses in recent weeks, along with police crackdowns on many.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
But federal officials believe the main catalyst is an aggressive crackdown on U.S.-bound migrants by Mexican officials, who have ramped up efforts to stop migrants from boarding trains and buses that would take them closer to the American border.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Think back to 2020 after George Floyd was murdered and Trump promised a military crackdown on civil unrest.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2024
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday defended the police crackdown on campus protests there, which have become the epicenter of demonstrations seen around the country.
—Kristina Abovyan, ABC News, 5 May 2024
Police crackdowns, meanwhile, have triggered sharp criticism as authorities arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators and dismantle protests camps.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 3 May 2024
Related Articles Besides being nonsensical and cruel, zoning crackdowns like these can be unconstitutional.
—Daryl James, Orange County Register, 1 May 2024
Verb
The Biden administration finalized a bunch of regulations that will crack down on climate and air pollution from power plants, possibly forcing many coal plants to close — eventually.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2024
But false claims that private money influenced the 2020 election led Georgia and 26 other states to pass laws cracking down on the use of outside money.
—USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2024
Filing Murder Charges: Just about every state in America has cracked down on fentanyl distribution by stepping up arrests and increasing prison sentences.
—Simon Romero Daniele Volpe, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Their efforts led the Kansas City Police Department to establish the 24th Street Task Force, which cracked down on crime in the area.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2024
With protests ongoing – and continued calls from the right to crack down on them – many university administrators resorted to calling on the police and the National Guard, working with them to remove student protesters from campus.
—Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, The Conversation, 26 Apr. 2024
The governor pledged to crack down on street crime and dispatched dozens of California Highway Patrol officers to bolster Bay Area policing.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The state is now cracking down, levying a $251,580 fine in March.
—Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
And efforts to crack down on crime targeting carriers may be paying off.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crackdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crackdown
Cite this Entry
“Crackdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackdown. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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