clamp·down
ˈklamp-ˌdau̇n 
: the act or action of making regulations and restrictions more stringent
a clampdown on charge accounts, bank loans, and other inflationary influences—
Time
Time
clamped down; clamping down; clamps down
: to impose restrictions : crack down
the police are clamping down on speeders
Examples of clampdown in a Sentence
Verb
the need to clamp down on petty crime in the city
Recent Examples on the Web
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
Others are predicting a return to the anything-goes approach to FARA that pervaded the foreign influence industry before the special counsel’s investigation led to a clampdown in the first Trump administration.
—Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Sean Conlon,brian Evans, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025
Suspending asylum at the border In the executive order declaring a national emergency in the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump announced that his administration would suspend the right to seek asylum as part of a broader effort to clamp down on irregular migration.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clampdown
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Noun
The years since the clampdown saw a dramatic fall in the number of violent attacks.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
Others are predicting a return to the anything-goes approach to FARA that pervaded the foreign influence industry before the special counsel’s investigation led to a clampdown in the first Trump administration.
—Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
Getty Images More evidence of consumers clamping down on spending even as fast food chains remain aggressive in their efforts to lure customers in with deals and value meals.
—Sean Conlon,brian Evans, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025
Suspending asylum at the border In the executive order declaring a national emergency in the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump announced that his administration would suspend the right to seek asylum as part of a broader effort to clamp down on irregular migration.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clampdown
Cite this Entry
“Clampdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clampdown. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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