crackdown
Americannoun
-
crackdowns
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of crackdown
1930–35, noun use of verb phrase crack down
Explanation
When an authority uses strict or harsh measures to curb certain behavior, it's a crackdown. A crackdown can be seen as positive or negative, depending on what kind of activity is being limited. The violent crackdown of a repressive government on its citizens is anti-democratic, but your principal's crackdown on bullying is most likely good for everyone in your school. Crackdown, with its sense of "severe discipline," may have originated from the phrase crack the whip, although language experts aren't certain.
Vocabulary lists containing crackdown
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.
See Examples For:
Deol said that since the crackdown, his workforce has shifted from about 200 Indian drivers to roughly 20.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the proposed rule changes are part of a crackdown on the "little charges that add up" when families plan their holiday trips.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
They added to evidence that the economy is powering past tariffs, high energy prices and an immigration crackdown, and fueling continued price increases, the Journal’s Matt Grossman writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
He said Cambodian authorities had "completely dismantled all light-scale scam compounds" in a high-profile crackdown launched last year.
From Barron's
Despite scientists’ fears, the ethical crackdown didn’t slow scientific progress.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Administration officials have been considering such restrictions for months, but many companies have warned that harsh crackdowns on Chinese model developers could end up hurting U.S. businesses that rely on them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Reasonable action to restrict and control migration today will, one hopes, avoid the excessive crackdowns, to say nothing of mob violence, that the world has seen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Forces regularly launch crackdowns where they seize illegally used devices, and often crush them.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But in L.A. — despite vanishing Hollywood jobs and immigration crackdowns — housing costs remain sky-high.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
The police crackdowns mounted, and more and more migrants came to the church.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
