come down on

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).
   • The company came down on him like a ton of bricks after he was found skipping work.

   Synonyms:

   excoriate, reprimand, castigate, chastise, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out, tilt, cannonade

2. (slang, transitive, African-American Vernacular) To attack or harass (someone).

   Synonyms:

   beset, lay into, set upon, abuse, aggress, assail, assault, attack, beat, beleaguer

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, aggrieve, attrist, begloom, begrieve, besorrow, grieve, pain