# come down upon

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/come-down-upon
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to punish or criticize someone very strongly for doing something wrong.

For teachers: to reprimand or penalize someone with significant severity; often used when an authority figure enforces rules strictly.

## Examples

- The manager will come down upon anyone who is late.
- The government promised to come down upon companies that do not follow the new environmental laws.
- The judiciary decided to come down upon the perpetrators with the full weight of the law to deter future white-collar crime.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The teacher came down upon to the student." but "The teacher came down upon the student." — the phrase is a transitive phrasal-prepositional verb and takes a direct object without adding extra prepositions like 'to'.

## Usage notes

- usually followed by a person or a group as the object of the punishment.
- Teaching tip: this is a more formal and forceful version of 'come down on'; the use of 'upon' adds a layer of traditional or legal weight to the expression.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.