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.
The Attorney General's office and courts announced the start of the trial, part of iron-fisted President Nayib Bukele's anti-gang crackdown.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
At the same time, the crackdown has prompted many large operations to scatter, making them harder to track.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
As interior minister, he helped oversee the crackdown against the women’s rights protests of 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Last year, the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 was passed, providing a framework for a crackdown on dangerous products being sold online and entering the UK.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 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.
