crackdown

crackdown — noun

1. the use of sudden, severe measures by authorities — the police, a government, or

1.nounB2
Definition

the use of sudden, severe measures by authorities — the police, a government, or similar bodies — to stop illegal or disapproved behaviour; for example, when police arrest many drug sellers at once, or when a city fines every shop that breaks safety rules.

Example

The city government announced a crackdown on illegal street vendors last week.

collocation: crackdown + on + [target]

Élise welcomed the police crackdown on drunk driving in her neighborhood.

noun phrase: police crackdown on [offence]

Common collocations
  • launch a crackdown
  • face a crackdown
  • call for a crackdown
  • brutal crackdown
  • harsh crackdown
  • security crackdown
  • police crackdown
  • government crackdown
  • crackdown on crime
  • crackdown on corruption
  • crackdown on protesters
Synonyms
  • clampdown

    very similar in meaning; slightly less forceful in tone, often used for rules rather than physical force

  • suppression

    more general; suggests preventing something from being seen or heard, not necessarily through arrests or penalties

  • repression

    much stronger connotation of cruelty and human-rights violations; usually reserved for political contexts

Antonyms
  • leniency

    a relaxed or forgiving attitude instead of strict punishment

  • tolerance

    allowing behaviour to continue without intervention

Grammar Patterns

crackdown + on + [something]

Usage Note

Typically used with on + target (crime, practice, or group). Subject is usually an authority (government, police, school). Frequently found in news reporting.

Common Mistakes

The police made a crackdown of illegal parking.
The police launched a crackdown on illegal parking.
The correct preposition after crackdown is on, not of.
There was a crackdown for drugs in the city.
There was a crackdown on drugs in the city.
Use on to introduce the target of the crackdown, not for.
Phrasal verbs

crack down

phrasal verb

to use firm measures against people who are breaking rules or laws, stopping or reducing their behaviour — for instance, when a school starts punishing students who arrive late, or when inspectors close shops that sell unsafe food.

The government is cracking down on factories that dump waste into the river.

School officials cracked down on bullying after the cafeteria incident last month.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Crackdown is the most common newspaper word for authorities using force or penalties to stop illegal activity — it focuses on the action itself. Clampdown is nearly interchangeable but suggests blocking or restricting rather than aggressively striking; British news uses it more often than American. Suppression is broader: it covers any act of preventing something from being known or seen (e.g. suppression of evidence or free speech) and does not necessarily involve arrests. Repression adds a strong moral charge — it is used for cruel, often violent control of political opposition or minority groups, and carries a negative judgment from the speaker. Purge is narrower: it means removing unwanted people from an organization (a political party, a company) by firing, expelling, or worse. Example: 'The police crackdown reduced street crime by thirty percent.' but 'The regime's repression of dissent drew international criticism.'

clampdownsuppression ↗repressionpurge

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • launch a crackdown
  • call for a crackdown
  • face a crackdown
  • carry out a crackdown

Prepositions

Etymology

English (American)

Crackdown comes from the phrasal verb crack down, which appeared in late 19th-century American English. The verb crack here suggests a sharp, forceful blow — like the crack of a whip — and down adds the idea of pressing something from above toward a lower state. The noun form crackdown quickly followed, first used in newspapers to describe police raids and government actions against lawbreakers.