ratchet

verb

variants or less commonly rachet

ratcheted also racheted; ratcheting also racheting; ratchets also rachets

transitive verb

: to cause to move by steps or degrees

—usually used with up or down

tried to ratchet down the debt

intransitive verb

: to proceed by steps or degrees

Did you know?

Slang Meaning of Ratchet

Ratchet also means “trashy and disorderly, sometimes in a good way.” Learn more>

Synonyms of ratchet

• decrease
• diminish
• shrink
• ebb
• die (away or down or out)
• decline
• taper off

Examples of ratchet in a Sentence

news stories about the kidnapping will ratchet down as the weeks go by

Recent Examples on the Web

But even as tension ratcheted up between the two, Snow marveled at Rhys’ ability to slip in and out of character at a moment’s notice. —Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 7 June 2026

That’s also why the AI makers have ratcheted up the AI to be sycophantic. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

In recent years, major shipping partners across the US economy have been ratcheting up parcel rates and surcharges. —Jason Phillips, USA Today, 29 May 2026

By Jimmy Jenkins and Zoe Tillman, Bloomberg The US Justice Department is seeking the names, addresses, and banking information of Reddit and X users, ratcheting up efforts to identify social media critics of government deportation efforts. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for ratchet

• hatchet

Kids Definition

ratchet

noun

ratch·​et

ˈrach-ət

1

: a mechanical device that consists of a bar or wheel having slanted teeth into which a pawl drops so as to allow motion in one direction only

2

: pawl