come down on
Idioms-
Also, come down upon.
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Also, come down hard on . Punish or reprimand severely. For example, My professor is going to come down on me for not completing the paper , or The judge promised to come down hard on drug dealers . [Early 1600s] Also see like a ton of bricks .
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Oppose, voice one's opposition, as in The President came down on the new budget cuts, promising to veto them . [Late 1800s]
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come down on the side of . Make a choice or decision in favor of, plump for, as in I'll come down on the side of those who are needy .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The curtain will come down on Glasgow 2026 at the Hydro after a ceremony featuring Delta Goodrem and rock legends Simple Minds.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"It's very rocky, and the fossils are in cliffs on the shore. Paleontologists hate excavating in cliffs, because the cliff could come down on you."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
Few studies come down on the side of large-scale job destruction.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 5, 2025
A 2024 report by a state oversight body found that California regulators are late to investigate complaints at treatment facilities or to come down on unlicensed facilities advertising services that require a license.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
She did not see her come down on a sycamore tree near the Margaretville Bridge.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
