crackdown
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of crackdown
1930–35, noun use of verb phrase crack down
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.
Authorities have pledged to close all online scam centres by the end of April, but analysts have said the government's crackdown on the industry is unlikely to stamp it out.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
More recently, Iran saw an unprecedented crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on protests that swept across the country in December and January.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Desai said, as seeming moments of recovery in the past year or so were squashed by the L.A. wildfires, then last summer’s immigration crackdown and associated civil unrest.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
Some speculate that the rulings could open the door to an intense regulatory crackdown on social-media companies, similar to the historic tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
Despite scientists’ fears, the ethical crackdown didn’t slow scientific progress.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
