to clamp down
18
4.2
- phrasal verb
- /klæmp daʊn/
:
reprimir
- And one of the things that the Bolsheviks did was clamp down on intellectual life.
- clamp down on prostitution
- efforts to clamp down
- clamped down hard
What happens if free speech is clamped down upon?
- What happens if free speech is clamped down upon?
- It's not that people don't try and do that in the UK, but it does get clamped down and people, an HMRC will come after you.
- And I also think we need to, I think we need to clamp down on the abuse of animals, race for food.
- They, they clamped down on it, they nipped it at they nipped the infection at the bud.
- And I also think we need to, I think we need to clamp down on the abuse of animals raised for food.
- Then you're going to either need to clamp down on any form of masculine expression or else it is going to find an outlet.
- They, they, I mean, he was trying to clamp down on the development of AI in a, in a very firm and substantial way, yes.
- Because, you know, Ortega has really clamped down on people.
- And then they try to, you know, clamp down as well.
- If they wanted to clamp down, they could clamp down.
- You either top down, clamp down, or, and I'll lead people back to my trifecta of evil.
- And so we're we're going to clamp down on that regardless I think of what happens in November.
Examples
-
The yuan has appreciated by 9.4 percent since mid-2005, and Beijing is beginning to clamp down on software piracy.
Academic text (2007) -
The government has decided to clamp down on illegal drug trafficking in the city.
-
To clamp down on the criminal elements.
-
Used to be you could just show up, but they were clamping down now for security reasons.
Blog text (5) -
And I also think we need to, I think we need to clamp down on the abuse of animals, race for food.
-
And so we're we're going to clamp down on that regardless I think of what happens in November.
-
Because, you know, Ortega has really clamped down on people.
-
To date, some governments have not taken the necessary steps to clamp down on the new generation of jihadists.
Academic text (2005) -
Since the mid-1990s, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has clamped down hard on border crossings.
Blog text (12) -
During the Marcos years, the government clamped down on my family's sugar trading and export business.
Synonyms
361
3.1
Limit how much people can use or access something
93
3.5
To make rules or limits stricter
86
4.6
Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely
73
3.5
To limit or control something to stop it getting worse
64
5.6
To limit what someone can do or how they can act
63
3.8
To take strong action to stop illegal or wrong behavior
53
4.6
To keep someone or something under control, for example by limiting spending
13
5.3
Take strong action to stop something bad or illegal
9
6.4
To stop something from continuing or becoming known
9
4.4
To make rules or limits stricter
8
8.1
Forcefully stop something like a protest or rumor
5
7.5
To reduce or control how much of something is allowed
Antonyms
How Strict
63
3.8
176
4.8
18
4.2
417
4.1
361
3.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core idea of 'clamp down' is partially derivable from 'clamp' (to restrain or press) plus the directional/emphatic 'down' — the image of pressing something down conveys suppression or restriction, so a learner who knows both words can infer a general sense of stopping or restricting. However, the specific institutional/enforcement nuance (take strict action against activities) is a metaphorical extension and tied to phrasal-verb usage, so the meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Clamp down comes from the image of a clamp — a tool you press down to hold something very tight. If you 'clamp down' on a problem, you press hard to stop it, so the phrase means 'to take strict action to stop or control'.