Dictionary

crack down en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /kɹæk ˈdaʊn/
• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, often, with 'on') To take harsh action (against), as when enforcing a law or rule more stringently than before.
   • In 2026, President Trump also signed Executive Order 14411, which gives U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) additional tools to crack down on transshipment by strengthening customs enforcement and increasing trade transparency. 2026 August 14, The White House, The Great Transshipment Scam: Rise, Scope, and Costs, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2026, page 3:
   • The authorities are trying to crack down on drunk driving during the holidays.
   • At this point they're hoping that the government will crack down and will put an end to deceptive rental offerings.
   • He wished he had tens of thousands more troops under Andez's control so he could round up every one of these demonstrators. But it was futile to continue cracking down. The stunnings, beatings and arrests had only inflamed them further. 2009, Kevin J. Anderson, The Ashes of Worlds:

Forms

Coordinates

clamp down

Deriveds

crackdown

Translations (37)

cmn 嚴厲打擊 /严厉打击 (take harsh action against) · es combatir (take harsh action against) · fi iskeä (take harsh action against) · ru подавля́ть (take harsh action against) · es ponerse serio con (take harsh action against) · es acabar con (take harsh action against) · vi trừng trị (take harsh action against) · he דיכא (take harsh action against) · sv tillslag (take harsh action against) · es doblegar (take harsh action against) · es poner mano dura contra (take harsh action against) · de hart durchgreifen (bei) (take harsh action against) · ru предпринима́ть (take harsh action against) · de scharf vorgehen (gegen) (take harsh action against) · es ajustar las riendas (take harsh action against) · fr frapper (take harsh action against) · es tomar medidas severas contra (take harsh action against) · es sojuzgar (take harsh action against) · es aplicar mano dura (take harsh action against) · it opporsi (take harsh action against) · es oprimir (take harsh action against) · fr sévir (take harsh action against) · es ponerse más estricto (take harsh action against) · es tomar medidas drásticas contra (take harsh action against) · he נקט אמצעים (take harsh action against) · vi trấn áp (take harsh action against) · es reprimir (take harsh action against) · it dare un giro di vite (take harsh action against) · es ponerse duro con (take harsh action against) · it usare la mano pesante (take harsh action against) · es suprimir (take harsh action against) · ru предприня́ть решительные меры (take harsh action against) · ru подави́ть (take harsh action against) · es tomar medidas enérgicas contra (take harsh action against) · es aplastar (take harsh action against) · es castigar a (take harsh action against) · es imponer mano dura (take harsh action against)