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crackdown
[ krak-doun ]
/ ˈkrækˌdaʊn /
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noun
the severe or stern enforcement of regulations, laws, etc., as to root out abuses or correct a problem.
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Origin of crackdown
1930–35, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase crack down
Words nearby crackdown
crack a joke, crack a smile, crackberry, crackbrain, crackbrained, crackdown, cracked, cracked heels, cracked up, cracked wheat, cracker
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use crackdown in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for crackdown
crack down
verb (intr, adverb often foll by on)
to take severe measures (against); become stricter (with)
noun crackdown
severe or repressive measures
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with crackdown
crack down
Act more forcefully to regulate, repress, or restrain. For example, The police cracked down on speeding. [1930s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.