clamp down
Britishverb
noun
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.
As Western nations clamp down on access to high-performance processors, underground networks have increasingly relied on complex transshipment routes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
In a 2007 interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Fed governor Edward Gramlich said he had privately urged Greenspan to clamp down on predatory lending around 2000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
But the spontaneity that charmed tourists and supported street vendors in Vietnam's capital has subsided in recent months as authorities clamp down on illegal use of footpaths.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Maybe referees will try to clamp down and issue more yellow cards before the ball is in play.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
I watched Linda clamp down the cap with the palm of her hand, holding it there, smiling over in Nick’s direction as if none of it really mattered.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
