RACHET (DOWN) Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

ratchet (down)

verb

variants also rachet (down)

Definition of ratchet (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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchet (down)

Verb

This type of reinforcement can not only disrupt barking at that moment but also decrease unwanted behaviors.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
This will decrease temperatures across the entirety of Central and Northern California, brining partly cloudy skies to the Central Valley and even some briefly overcast conditions to areas north of Sacramento.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of decrease

Verb

Theirs is the paramount love story here, which works well in some ways but less so in others, somehow diminishing the stakes of their respective longing for Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) and Willoughby (Frank Dillane).

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
But people have decided to use their savings and savings is diminishing.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of diminish

Verb

The thesis is that AI is going to shrink the workweek and people will fill the time with concerts and boxing and live theater.

— Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
The fourth, the Indian rhinoceros, is vulnerable, its habitat shrinking rapidly as fragmented and isolated population groups spread across a shattered landscape littered with invasive plant species poisonous to the animals.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of shrink

Verb

The new era of worker power that labor advocates proclaimed as the pandemic ebbed was something of a chimera.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
As farming ebbed, the water stored in those reservoirs helped the area's cities and suburbs become one of the nation's fastest growing urban areas.

— Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of ebb

Verb

His attorney, Daniel Gerdts, declined to comment after the hearing.

— TIM SULLIVAN, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
There are also discussions about an adjacent White House meeting with AI CEOs next week, which House Majority Leader Mike Johnson referenced, but a representative for the speaker declined to provide further details.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

Any precipitation should taper off later Monday, though clouds may linger into the evening, making for a gray day, the weather service said.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
As the rains tapered off and the skies cleared, Paterson's annual Dominican parade stepped off Sunday afternoon, though with a slight delay.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of taper off

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Browse Nearby Words

ratbags

ratchet (down)

ratcheted (down)

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“Ratchet (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratchet%20%28down%29. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ratchet (down)

verb

Example Sentences

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