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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On the other hand, just 5 percent said tariffs would decrease prices in the short term, and 30 percent said the policy would lower prices in the long term.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025 -
And the over-all number of abortions in the U.S. may eventually decrease as a result of Dobbs.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The previous six champions were all diminished the following season by either injuries or significant roster changes.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Lacy turned himself in to police on Jan. 12, but his NFL Draft prospects were significantly diminished by the wreck.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These sprays shrink the blood vessels in your nasal passages.—
Andrea Muraskin,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2025
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The number shrank during Italy’s postwar economic boom as residents moved to the mainland for more modern housing — including indoor plumbing, which was lacking in Venice.—
Colleen Barry,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Yet after two world wars and decades of political and economic decline, London watched as sterling’s global status ebbed away.—
Edward Fishman,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Apr. 2025
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Even though mandates largely fell out of favor as the pandemic ebbed, the outcome of the legal challenge will determine how much power businesses and organizations have to investigate exemption requests in case of a future resurgence, prompting new mandates.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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County officials declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The hospital declined to say whether Ikner was one of their patients.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But by the 1940s and ’50s, organ-meat consumption had begun to taper off.—
Valerie Trapp,
The Atlantic,
17 Apr. 2025
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Winds will remain gusty throughout the afternoon, then taper off around sunset.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 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 24 Apr. 2025.
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