variants
also racheted (down)
as in decreased
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 ratcheted (down)
Verb
-
Crime in the 21207 zip code area has decreased within the last year, according to data from the Baltimore County Public Safety Data Dashboard.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
14 June 2026 -
Parents should quickly seek medical care for an infant who has difficulty swallowing, poor feeding, loss of head control or decreased facial expression, the CDC said.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
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But by the 1960s, it was much diminished, and a later owner, Benjamin Swig, had sold close to 1,000 antiques and artworks to help pay bills.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Life satisfaction went up, and loneliness diminished.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Who cares about a list of around 20 other schools on Milwaukee’s north side where student achievement is low, enrollment has fallen, and resources and vitality have ebbed over the last quarter century?—
Alan J. Borsuk,
jsonline.com,
12 June 2026
-
Until last week, when Democratic patience with Platner ebbed amid the dual reports of his behavior toward women.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
As the Spurs lead shrunk, the roar of the crowd inside MSG raged.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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Caffeine boosted cycling power output at first, but the advantage steadily shrank, and by the second and third weeks the same dose produced a smaller performance benefit.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
And those are the lucky ones, who weren’t felled by late-season injuries and bumped from the tournament the way Brazil’s Rodrygo, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Germany’s Serge Gnabry were.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
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There was also a giant tree stretching across Laflin Street about a block from the scene of the fire, after being felled by the storms on Wednesday.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Florida citrus acreage declined from nearly 749,000 acres in 2004 to approximately 275,000 acres in 2024.—
Paul Meador,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 June 2026
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The National Labor Relations Board declined jurisdiction on narrow grounds, warning that allowing one private-school team to unionize while most FBS programs were public universities could create instability.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
Verb
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For the most part, interest in their love story has tapered off over time, except for the occasional call from a reporter around Valentine’s Day.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
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As the rain tapered off in the afternoon, the Skippers (20-2) were eager to defend their home turf.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ratcheted (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheted%20%28down%29. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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