variants
also racheting (down)
as in decreasing
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 ratcheting (down)
Verb
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As recently reported through KPBS, this progress has led to rents decreasing by about 5%.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026 -
Several years ago, MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred enacted changes meant to speed up the game through better pace of play, keeping the same amount of action in baseball while decreasing the time each game took to finish.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Back at the Elias-Clarke building, Runway’s intrepid leader Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) and her deputy Nigel (Stanley Tucci) fight to keep their once-vital, but now diminishing, print product alive in the digital age.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
1 May 2026
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Even the most ambitious stories often felt exhausted by the third installment, with diminishing creative and financial returns.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An outbreak forced farmers and commercial producers to slaughter entire broods of egg-laying hens, but ebbing cases in the second half of last year helped restore egg supplies, said Mark Jordan, the executive director of agricultural research firm LEAP Market Analytics.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The effects of its costly price war with T-Mobile seem to be ebbing.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ramberg/Getty Images Household budgets are under significant pressure right now, with millions of Americans trying to juggle stubborn (and now rising) living costs and shrinking financial cushions thanks to their rising credit card debt.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
-
As more Americans take weight-loss medications such as Ozempic, appetites are shrinking.—
Khloe Quill , Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
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There may be some consolation in the fact that some housing experts, like Cotality's chief economist, Selma Hepp, think that the recent period of skyrocketing housing costs may be tapering off.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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On Saturday, Ventura County could see wind gusts between 20 and 30 mph, and isolated gusts of 40 mph, starting in the mid-morning and tapering off later in the afternoon.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Blue Origin The first stage appeared to work flawlessly, shutting down and falling away as planned about three minutes and nine seconds after liftoff.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
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On Wednesday, Mikel Arteta’s side face Bayer Leverkusen, who sit sixth in the Bundesliga after falling away since their famous unbeaten title-winning season in 2023-24.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bass defended her administration’s handling of homelessness, pointing to declining homelessness counts and the city’s Inside Safe program, while criticizing Raman’s record on police hiring and past votes against some encampment enforcement measures near schools and other sensitive sites.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
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Poverty, lack of transportation to school and mental health struggles contribute to absenteeism and declining enrollment across San Diego County.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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California’s governor’s race isn’t letting up.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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Running a tight 95 minutes, and never letting up for one of them, Apex is yet another perfect showcase for Theron’s exceptional physical talents as the premier female action star working in movies.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ratcheting (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28down%29. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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