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
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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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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
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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
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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And this isn’t just a method to shrink your waistline: The pros at Buchinger say that fasting is able to improve your quality of life both now and in the future, acting as a safeguard against aging.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
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
-
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 the increase in sales could begin to taper off in the coming months.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Oftentimes, cybersecurity vendors wax and wane with the quality of their detection capabilities, and management should be able to understand when that once-hot vendor starts to taper off in value.—
Alex Lanstein,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 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 2 May. 2025.
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