crackdown
Americannoun
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.
Even so, defense analysts say the crackdown has raised questions over combat readiness and morale across a two-million-strong force.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Parents are being warned to control their children or face a criminal record as part of an after-school crackdown on persistent trouble-makers in the centre of Nottingham.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Polymarket said it has cooperated with the Justice Department on its crackdown on insider trading.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Giuliani’s time in office was marked by a crackdown on crime, but race relations eroded as Giuliani defended the police against accusations of bias and brutality.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026
Most New Yorkers loved this crackdown on its own merit.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
