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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchet (down)
Verb
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This risk decreases as the storm moves away.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026 -
As the war in Iran rages on, both rising oil prices and consumers’ decreasing desire to jet-set in uncertain times hang like a dark cloud over the industry, threatening to upend air travel across the world.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Panini currently holds licenses for those four federations, continuing the ongoing trend of Fanatics winning licenses, which diminishes Panini’s portfolio.—
Larry Holder,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Competing Colors One painting mistake that will diminish the appearance of even the nicest new kitchen is not thoughtfully considering how your cabinet or wall color will coordinate with other elements in the room.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Telescopes and microscopes were everywhere by then, shrinking and stretching the Earth and sky and, in the process, expanding archaeological time from centuries to eons.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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If the overall workforce continues to shrink, even fewer new jobs will be needed to incorporate workers entering the labor force, such as recent college graduates or parents who put their careers on hold for a few years.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
3 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
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This in a year when share buybacks are ebbing due to huge capital-spending demands.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His parents declined to comment to reporters afterward.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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The new listings, published Wednesday by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, cite factors such as warming ocean waters, melting sea ice and declining availability of food to sustain such species.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Light-bloom torture-test shots of colorful objects against completely black backgrounds also produced significant haze that tapered off gradually across the screen.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
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While the series’ linear ratings have tapered off, something pretty common for serialized broadcast dramas, Memory of a Killer has become a staple on Hulu, which releases new episodes next day, regularly raking in the streamer’s Daily Top 10.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
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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 10 Apr. 2026.
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