Word
crackdown
Phoneticscrack·down
US/ˈkɹækˌdaʊn/
UK/kɹˈækdaʊn/
Definition
n. a sudden, strong action by people in power to stop a specific activity or behavior. You usually hear about this when the police or government start strictly enforcing rules that were ignored before.
n. a period of intensified enforcement of laws or regulations, typically involving increased surveillance or punitive measures. Often used in political or legal contexts to describe a sudden shift from leniency to strictness.
Examples
“The city announced a major crackdown on illegal parking this week.”
“Following a series of accidents, the local government launched a crackdown on speeding in residential areas.”
“The sudden regulatory crackdown on tech firms led to a sharp decline in market confidence as investors feared more restrictive legislation would follow.”
Examples
simple
“The city announced a major crackdown on illegal parking this week.”
contextual
“Following a series of accidents, the local government launched a crackdown on speeding in residential areas.”
complex
“The sudden regulatory crackdown on tech firms led to a sharp decline in market confidence as investors feared more restrictive legislation would follow.”
Usage
Commonly takes the preposition 'on' to indicate the target of the enforcement.
Pitfall
the government made a crack down
the government launched a crackdown
The noun is a single word 'crackdown'; the two-word form 'crack down' is the phrasal verb.
Real-World Examples
“Hong Kong used to be one of the only places in Chinese territory where people could gather to mark the deadly 1989 crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.” “Labour's employment rights bill crackdown on zero hours contracts could cost businesses up to £2.9bn a year, new official analysis has found.” “Reform’s promised benefits crackdown would apply to all foreign nationals, including European Union citizens with settled status in the UK.” Etymology
Deverbal from crack down.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/crackdown