Come down on Meaning in English
expression
ˈkəm/ /ˈdaʊn/ /ˈɑn/, /ˈɔn
KUHM DOWN AHN
kˈʌm/ /dˈaʊn/ /ˈɒn
KUM DOWN ON
Definition
To criticize or punish someone very strongly for something they did wrong.
Usage & Nuances
Informal and often used in spoken English. Common collocations: 'come down on someone hard', 'come down on someone like a ton of bricks' (very harshly). Refers to strong criticism or punishment, not physically moving down.
Spanish: reprender - castigarPortuguese (BR): repreender - castigarPortuguese (PT): repreender - castigarChinese (Simplified): 严厉批评 - 严厉惩罚Chinese (Traditional): 嚴厲批評 - 嚴厲懲罰Hindi: कड़ी फटकार लगाना - कड़ी सजा देनाArabic: انتقد بشدة - عاقب بقسوةBengali: কঠোরভাবে শাসন করা - কঠোর সমালোচনা করাRussian: жёстко отругать - сильно наказатьJapanese: 厳しく叱る - 厳しく罰するVietnamese: trừng phạt nặng - chỉ trích gay gắtKorean: 호되게 나무라다 - 강하게 비난하다Turkish: sertçe eleştirmek - sertçe cezalandırmakUrdu: سخت سرزنش کرنا - سخت سزا دیناIndonesian: menghukum keras - mengkritik keras
Example Sentences
The teacher came down on the students for being late.
basic
My parents came down on me for not doing my homework.
basic
If you break the rules, the coach will come down on you.
basic
The boss really comes down on people who make careless mistakes.
natural
Why did she come down on her brother so hard?
natural
Social media users can come down on celebrities for almost anything these days.
natural