Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

crack down

/kɹæk ˈdaʊn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.40 in modern English

Syllables: crack- -down
IPA: /kɹæk ˈdaʊn/

21

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To take harsh action (against), as when enforcing a law or rule more stringently than before.

Example Sentences

"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."
"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."

Inflected Forms

cracks down (present, singular) cracking down (participle, present) cracked down (participle, past) cracked down (past)

Derived Forms

crackdown

Frequently Paired Words

clamp down

Synonyms

clamp down

Questions

How do you pronounce crack down?: The recorded pronunciation is /kɹæk ˈdaʊn/.
What does crack down mean?: To take harsh action (against), as when enforcing a law or rule more stringently than before.

How to pronounce crack down

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