variants
also rachet (down)
as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
news stories about the kidnapping will ratchet down as the weeks go by
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchet (down)
Verb
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As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2025 -
The top three contributors to hydroplaning are: Vehicle speed - When a vehicle's speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Augmenting Human Relationships with AI AI's role in enhancing efficiency does not diminish the need for human expertise in B2B interactions.—
John Bruno,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The 25-year-old’s sample might be small, but in an era of diminishing workloads, Zack Wheeler and Max Fried are the only current starters averaging 6 1/3 innings.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
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The fish that shrank, the study found, had a much higher chance of surviving.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
23 May 2025
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The layoffs of tens of thousands of staff across the federal government are a critical piece of a push by the Republican president and billionaire adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government and drastically cut spending.—
Daniel Wiessner,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The pattern that defined this period—an uptick in spying during war, and then its ebbing in peacetime—poses a problem for Rogg and Lowenthal, whose accounts of the years between the Revolution and World War II are overstuffed with desultory detail.—
James Santel,
The Atlantic,
8 May 2025
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Four House Democrats made a separate trip to raise concerns over Abrego Garcia’s due process rights, but those visits have since ebbed as Republicans accuse the Democrats of being out of touch with voters on immigration.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo declined to comment on the WSJ report.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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Yields have risen and the dollar has declined moderately.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Yet as lending has tapered off and grace periods on many loans have expired, China has emerged as the world's largest official creditor, according to a new report from the Lowy Institute, an Australian foreign policy think tank.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
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According to Sea-Intelligence, there is a continuing year-over-year reduction in ocean freight capacity to both coasts until the start of June, before the West Coast availability tapers off again throughout the month.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
23 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ratchet (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratchet%20%28down%29. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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