ratcheting (up)

verb

variants also racheting (up)
present participle of ratchet (up)
as in bumping (up)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheting (up)
  1. building up
  2. pumping up
Verb
  • Government reshuffle Ahead of the next winter period, Ukraine is strengthening the defense of its energy infrastructure and building up reserves to ensure sufficient supplies of heat and electricity.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies start right after birth with three to five minutes at a time, building up to more than an hour a day.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of building up
Verb
  • In other words, pumping up the stock market was seen as a way to drive consumer spending.
    — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Many of my fellow viewers enthusiastically embraced the role of wrestling fans and behaved as if at a WWE match, audibly pumping up the hero and booing her opponents.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Definition of pumping 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

ratcheting (down)
ratcheting (up)
ratchets (down)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ratcheting (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28up%29. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All