Meanings
plural crackdowns
- countableuncountableAbruptly stern measures or disciplinary action; increased enforcement.
In the last two years crackdowns on various sectors of the economy, as well as prominent Chinese businessmen, have caused uncertainty. These have recently widened to include foreign nationals and firms, heightening worries in the international business community.
2023 November 15, Tessa Wong, “Xi Jinping arrives in US as his Chinese Dream sputters”, in BBC, archived from the original on 25 Nov 20231 more example
After a harsh police crackdown last week fueled anger and swelled protests, President Dilma Rousseff, a former guerrilla who was imprisoned under the dictatorship and has now become the target of pointed criticism herself, tried to appease dissenters by embracing their cause on Tuesday.
2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2020, retrieved 21 Jun 2013
Origin
Deverbal from crack down.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic قَمْع
- قَمْع (qamʕ)increased enforcement
Chinese Cantonese 鎮壓 /镇压
- 鎮壓 /镇压 (zan³ aat³)increased enforcement
Chinese Mandarin 鎮壓 /镇压, 痛擊 /痛击
- 鎮壓 /镇压 (zhènyā)increased enforcement
- 痛擊 /痛击 (tòngjī)increased enforcement
- 彈壓 /弹压 (tányā)increased enforcement
Dutch repressie, onderdrukking
- repressieincreased enforcement
- onderdrukkingincreased enforcement
Esperanto severaj rimedoj, disciplinigo
- severaj rimedojincreased enforcement
- disciplinigoincreased enforcement
- drasta kontraŭagoincreased enforcement
Finnish kurinpalautus, tukahdutus
- kurinpalautusincreased enforcement
- tukahdutusincreased enforcement
French acte de répression
- acte de répressionincreased enforcement
German hartes Durchgreifen, scharfes Vorgehen
- hartes Durchgreifenincreased enforcement
- scharfes Vorgehenincreased enforcement
- Razziaincreased enforcement
Greek καταστολή, πάταξη
- καταστολή (katastolí)increased enforcement
- πάταξη (pátaxi)increased enforcement
Hebrew אכיפה מוגברת
- אכיפה מוגברת (akhifá mugbéret)increased enforcement
Indonesian penggrebekan
- penggrebekanincreased enforcement
Italian giro di vite, misura restrittiva
- giro di viteincreased enforcement
- misura restrittivaincreased enforcement
- repressioneincreased enforcement
Japanese 弾圧
- 弾圧 (dan'atsu)increased enforcement
Korean 단속, 탄압
- 단속 (dansok)increased enforcement
- 탄압 (tanap)increased enforcement
Persian سرکوب
- سرکوب (sarkub)increased enforcement
Portuguese repressão
- repressãoincreased enforcement
Russian разго́н, репре́ссия
- разго́н (razgón)increased enforcement
- репре́ссия (représsija)increased enforcement
- примене́ние суро́вых мер (primenénije suróvyx mer)increased enforcement
Spanish represión, opresión
- represiónincreased enforcement
- opresiónincreased enforcement
- supresiónincreased enforcement
- campaña contraincreased enforcement
- mano duraincreased enforcement
- ola represivaincreased enforcement
- medidas represivasincreased enforcement
- medidas severasincreased enforcement
- ofensivaincreased enforcement
- aplastamientoincreased enforcement
- medidas enérgicasincreased enforcement
- sojuzgamientoincreased enforcement
Swedish nedslag
- nedslagincreased enforcement
Cite this entry
crackdown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crackdown
“crackdown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crackdown. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crackdown,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crackdown.
Source: crackdown on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.