come down on

English

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Pronunciation

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Verb

come down on (third-person singular simple present comes down on, present participle coming down on, simple past came down on, past participle come down on)

  1. (transitive) To punish or criticize (someone).
    Synonyms: excoriate, reprimand; castigate, chastise; see also Thesaurus:criticize, Thesaurus:punish
    The company came down on him very hard after he was found skipping work.
  2. (transitive, slang, African-American Vernacular) To attack or harass (someone).
    Synonyms: beset, lay into, set upon; see also Thesaurus:attack
  3. (transitive) To pressure (someone or something); to strictly enforce something on (someone or something).
  4. (transitive) To cause melancholy in (someone).
    Synonyms: bring down, depress, dispirit; see also Thesaurus:sadden

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