ratcheted (down)

verb

variants also racheted (down)
past tense of ratchet (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)
  1. decreased
  2. diminished
  3. ebbed
  4. shrank
  5. fell
  6. declined
  7. tapered off
Verb
  • Deaths from the virus have decreased by 36% in the past decade.
    — Philip A. Chan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Penalties of $3,400 issued the same month against the town of Brentwood were decreased to $2,600 after a settlement.
    — William J. Ford, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreased
Verb
  • The weather service canceled the flood watch for nearly all the Kansas City forecast area because the threat of additional heavy rain had diminished.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • One can see this when a paint’s color appears diminished and faded.
    — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of diminished
Verb
  • The golden era of sports print journalism ebbed and began to die.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The new era of worker power that labor advocates proclaimed as the pandemic ebbed was something of a chimera.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of ebbed
Verb
  • In the visual network, the gap between eyes-open and eyes-closed connectivity shrank by 85 percent.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In 2024, the luxury market shrank 2%, losing some 50 million consumers.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shrank
Verb
  • Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the 430 trees that were felled were not identified as hazardous or raising safety concerns.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • The local district attorney declined to seek criminal charges, but the criminal case was reopened after the lawsuit was filed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The campaign for the Democratic nominee for governor, David Jolly, declined to comment on what the new opinion meant for the Hope Florida saga.
    — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of declined
Verb
  • As the rains tapered off and the skies cleared, Paterson's annual Dominican parade stepped off Sunday afternoon, though with a slight delay.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
  • However, Brissett's play tapered off after he was hobbled by a knee injury.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of tapered off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ratchet (down)
ratcheted (down)
ratcheted (up)
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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 17 Oct. 2026.

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