Phrasal verb
come down upon
Meanings
To criticize, blame, or punish someone harshly and suddenly.
Definition
To come down upon someone means to criticize or punish them suddenly and strongly.
When someone comes down upon another person, they react with strong disapproval, blame, or punishment. It often happens after a mistake, rule-breaking, or unacceptable behavior is discovered. The focus is on a sudden, forceful response from someone in authority or with influence.
Examples
- My supervisor came down upon me for missing the deadline.
- The teacher came down upon you for talking during the test.
- His parents came down upon him after he broke the curfew.
- The editor came down upon her for submitting an unfinished draft.
- They came down upon their teammate for ignoring the plan.
Common mistake
Learners often say "come down on" when they specifically mean "come down upon," or they use the wrong preposition like "come down to" in this sense.
More phrasal verbs
- go on To go on means to continue or keep happening.
- carry out To carry out something means to do it or complete it, especially a plan, task, or instruction.
- set up To set up means to arrange or prepare something so it is ready to use or happen.
- pick up “Pick up” most commonly means to collect someone or something from a place, usually by going there.
- go back To go back means to return to a place, time, or earlier situation.