clamp down on
Enforce stricter control
To clamp down on something is to suppress or restrict it with sudden force or increased severity.
Authorities clamp down on crime, protests, or illegal activity; parents clamp down on screen time.
The phrase implies enforcement that was previously lax or absent: The city is clamping down on unlicensed street vendors.
- crackdownSudden strict enforcement
- put a stop toCause to cease
- crack the whipAssert stern authority
- curbRaised road margin
- restrictTo impose limits upon
put the brakes on · stamp out · nip in the bud · prevent · penalize · control · limit · enforce · prohibit · regulate · suppress · check · quash · draw the line · confine · stifle · squelch · discipline