to clamp down on
13
5.3
- phrasal verb
- /klæmp daʊn ɑn/
:
tomar medidas enérgicas contra
- During the Marcos years, the government clamped down on my family's sugar trading and export business.
- began to clamp down on
And I also think we need to, I think we need to clamp down on the abuse of animals raised for food.
- And I also think we need to, I think we need to clamp down on the abuse of animals raised for food.
- Because, you know, Ortega has really clamped down on people.
- They, they clamped down on it, they nipped it at they nipped the infection at the bud.
- And so we're we're going to clamp down on that regardless I think of what happens in November.
- 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.
- And I also think we need to, I think we need to clamp down on the abuse of animals, race for food.
Examples
-
In Florida and elsewhere, legislatures clamped down on organized voter registration drives with the stated purpose of reducing fraud.
Academic text (2008) -
The Lebanese government clamped down on Syrian opposition in Lebanon because of heavy pressure from the Assad regime.
Academic text (2012) -
To clamp down on the criminal elements.
-
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) -
And one of the things that the Bolsheviks did was clamp down on intellectual life.
-
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 decided to clamp down on illegal drug trafficking to make the streets safer.
Synonyms
∞
2.1
To control how much or how often something happens
361
3.1
Limit how much people can use or access something
104
3.7
Stop something from growing or spreading
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
30
5.4
Stop or make something less likely to happen
22
3.2
To keep something low and stop it from getting bigger
18
4.2
To use strict rules and punishments to stop bad or illegal actions
11
4.3
To slow down an activity or stop it
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
6
6.4
To stop a supply by blocking its source or flow
5
7.5
To reduce or control how much of something is allowed
3
7.5
Have a negative effect on something, often limiting it
2
8.4
Punish someone strongly for bad behaviour
1
7.2
To limit someone's freedom, power, or plans
Stop something by using force or strict rules
Antonyms
How Strict
63
3.8
176
4.8
13
5.3
417
4.1
361
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('clamp' = press/fix, 'down' = downward, 'on' = targeting) suggest physically pressing something, which maps metaphorically onto restricting or suppressing an activity. The enforcement sense ('take strict action to stop') is a figurative extension that is partially guessable but not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Clamp down on comes from the image of a clamp, a tool that is pressed down to hold something tight and stop it moving. So it now means taking strong action to 'stop' or 'reduce' something unwanted or illegal.