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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheting (down)
Verb
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As chairman, Cassidy has had several clashes with the White House over confirmations, including for Kennedy due to his support for decreasing the number of vaccines children receive.—
Gabrielle M. Etzel,
The Washington Examiner,
13 May 2026 -
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced an overall 4% decrease, and unsheltered homelessness decreasing by 22% since the 2024 count.—
Robin Epley,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Section Two of the Voting Rights Act was written to prevent diminishing the voting power of racial minorities by packing them into one district or spreading them out across many districts.—
Sarah Clifton,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
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Getty Images The Philadelphia Phillies have kept many of the same players on the roster since the team’s 2022 run all the way to the World Series, though the returns have been diminishing.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
15 May 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
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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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Tatcha’s silky gel formula transforms into a lush lather with a little water, shrinking the appearance of pores and laying the foundation for sunscreen and makeup or your nighttime skin-care routine.—
Sarah Felbin,
Allure,
20 May 2026
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As Betty Boop became more popular, Natwick revised his design to swap the character’s floppy dog’s ears for bangle earrings and shrinking her nose.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Overnight showers and thunderstorms are tapering off across the Kansas City metro, but forecasters say the bigger concern comes later Monday, when severe weather is likely, the National Weather Service said.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
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Showers could linger into Wednesday night before gradually tapering off, with cooler air settling in and lows dropping into the 50s.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
4 May 2026
Verb
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But the memorandum drafted between Kyiv and Washington on an early-stage drone deal appears to suggest those obstacles may be falling away.—
Aidan Stretch,
CBS News,
12 May 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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Black Bear officials cited the program's declining participation rates and finances as the reason.—
Kenny Jacoby,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
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Sadly, bat populations are declining rapidly in North America.—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Data center spending, which is the main source of Nvidia’s revenue, hasn’t shown signs of letting up.—
Ian King,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
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The Georgia Legislature roundly rejected a bill legalizing sports betting, but sports betting companies aren’t letting up.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
15 May 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 21 May. 2026.
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