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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But Israel and Hezbollah showed no signs of decreasing their attacks Friday.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026 -
The less experienced Tyler Kolek’s playing time decreased as well as the squad returned to full health.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Quiet Maryam and mercurial Farhan—eight years apart—had often squabbled, gone through periods of not talking, but without her sister as a foil, Maryam was diminished.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The result, of course, is that both nations are diminished.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Miniature Wife Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen star in this dramedy about an egocentric scientist on the verge of a breakthrough who accidentally shrinks his wife, a Pulitzer-winning author who hasn’t written a lick in more than a decade.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
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When gas prices go up, consumer purchasing power goes down, effectively shrinking how much disposable income people have.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Immigration — long a pipeline for population growth — has ebbed significantly under a federal crackdown.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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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
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 15 Apr. 2026.
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