variants
also racheted (down)
as in decreased
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheted (down)
Verb
-
Drone strikes have decreased by 83%.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026 -
Though on Saturday, MDFR said smoke in the area had greatly decreased compared to Thursday and Friday.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Liverpool’s transition threat has diminished.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Extensive research shows that insufficient sleep is associated with impaired cognitive function, chronic health problems, diminished productivity and an increase in traffic accidents, just to name a few.—
Stephen Neely,
The Conversation,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
West Ham’s defending once caused consternation among the fanbase, but those concerns have slowly ebbed away.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Those disorders continue to overwhelm providers years after other pandemic-era mental health crises have ebbed.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With the use of these unique materials where ions move freely even under electrical load, the team shrunk these thermometers to a mere square micrometer — thousands of times thinner than a human hair.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That shrunk the territory Democrats could win, and put some of their incumbents on new red turf.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Apartment buildings were felled by air strikes, and smoke billowed from the blasts; the buzz of Israeli drones filled the air.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Too many people, particularly those in my age group, have been felled by a cold that morphed into pneumonia, or a UTI that landed them in the hospital, or a simple stumble on a floor mat that resulted in surgery and months of physical therapy.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Township officials also offered assistance during a public meeting to help address those concerns, but the university declined the help, the lawsuit alleges.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The Army Corps declined to comment for this article, citing the ongoing lawsuit.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After the initial surge following the Tuesday Instagram post upping the reward, the number of calls to the sheriff's department has tapered off, sources said.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The questions about the interceptions have tapered off with his high schoolers.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Ratcheted (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheted%20%28down%29. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
