variants
also rachet (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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchet (down)
Verb
-
The number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025 -
Winds will decrease Friday night before increasing again Saturday morning.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Whereas a decline in home values diminishes the equity investors might hold in their properties, which limits their ability to leverage assets for additional investments or refinancing opportunities.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, a more constrained and domestically focused healthcare agenda is likely to diminish trust in federal health agencies, limit access to culturally competent care and produce a loss of global leadership in health innovation.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These sprays shrink the blood vessels in your nasal passages.—
Andrea Muraskin,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2025
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The number shrank during Italy’s postwar economic boom as residents moved to the mainland for more modern housing — including indoor plumbing, which was lacking in Venice.—
Colleen Barry,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Many states beefed up staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting workers from other parts of state unemployment agencies to customer service, but moved them back to their old positions as the spike in applications ebbed, Traub said.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Laying out two scenarios for what the duties eventually will look like, Waller said larger and longer-lasting tariffs would bring a larger inflation spike initially to a 4% to 5% range that eventually would ebb as growth slowed and unemployment increased.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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County officials declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The hospital declined to say whether Ikner was one of their patients.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But by the 1940s and ’50s, organ-meat consumption had begun to taper off.—
Valerie Trapp,
The Atlantic,
17 Apr. 2025
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Winds will remain gusty throughout the afternoon, then taper off around sunset.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ratchet (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratchet%20%28down%29. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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