clamp down (on)

verb

Definition of clamp down (on)next
as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force the need to clamp down on petty crime in the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clamp down (on)
  1. quell
  2. suppress
  3. subdue
  4. sit on
Verb
  • The plastics industry began placing it on its products in the 1980s to quell public outrage over plastic pollution.
    — Lisa Song, ProPublica, 29 Oct. 2026
  • To quell concerns, the band posted an explanation on their social media channels.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of quell
Verb
  • When the neurotoxin stops suppressing nerve signals to those muscles, the lines return.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
  • In June, 1848, workers erected barricades on a nearby street, only to be brutally suppressed by government forces.
    — Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Having asserted their power, voters proved difficult to subdue again.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Police said officers used a less-lethal weapon to subdue Sims and take him into custody.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of subdue
Verb
  • The work of Deleuze and Guattari provides a useful context to understand these penetrative sculptures that sit on a discomfiting spectrum of organism and machine.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Roy and Goyette will both travel to Tokyo to sit on the jury.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of sit on
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

clamp down
clamp down (on)
clamped
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Cite this Entry

“Clamp down (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clamp%20down%20%28on%29. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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