ratcheting (down)

verb

variants also racheting (down)
present participle of ratchet (down)
as in decreasing
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 ratcheting (down)
  1. decreasing
  2. diminishing
  3. ebbing
  4. shrinking
  5. tapering off
  6. falling away
  7. declining
  8. letting up
Verb
  • Rogers, Rea, and Parks-Shaw all have emphasized the need to be proactive in decreasing the number of lawsuits filed against the Police Department.
    — Freddrell Green, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Activity at Guatemala's Fuego volcano that began Monday morning and caused widespread evacuations is gradually decreasing, authorities said Wednesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • Plants and animals keenly sense the diminishing light, which acts as a master biological clock that triggers changes such as migration, shifting hormone levels and winter coat growth.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Without diminishing that aspect of music, Musical Bodies rightly situates as much meaning in the objects themselves.
    — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of diminishing
Verb
  • The autocracies are surging, and democracies ebbing.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • That number has fluctuated from a high of 115,000 in May to a low of about 16,000 on the day before this column was published, ebbing and flowing as tickets were purchased, new batches were released and FIFA (maybe) pulled back others.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026
Definition of ebbing
Verb
  • In its first quarterly report since offering shares to the public, Elon Musk's SpaceX announced soaring revenues and shrinking losses — but still not a profit.
    — John Ruwitch, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Sales of both gas and electric water heaters grew about 11% in the same time period, showing that gas isn’t shrinking, but electric is edging ahead.
    — Jennifer Castenson, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shrinking
Verb
  • Rain chances continue into Thursday, with storm activity tapering off in the evening.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The rain will be tapering off and skies will be clearing in the afternoon.
    — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of tapering off
Verb
  • When algorithms see these frictions falling away, the need for a driver premium plummets, deflating the surge price.
    — Christopher S. Tang, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
  • But the memorandum drafted between Kyiv and Washington on an early-stage drone deal appears to suggest those obstacles may be falling away.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Definition of falling away
Verb
  • The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, has released reports on declining inventories based on budget documents and other public information.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Both have dealt with years of declining sales, but hemp beverages have opened a new market for a generation that isn’t drinking as much as its predecessors.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • After already scoring the best domestic weekend in box-office history, Spider-Man is not letting up.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Shifts in geopolitics, mercurial trade policies and evolving compliance requirements have been reshaping global sourcing, and the changes show no signs of letting up.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of letting up
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

ratcheted (up)
ratcheting (down)
ratcheting (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Ratcheting (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28down%29. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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