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
  • The lack of regulations for unsupervised AI and decreasing hardware costs amplify this uncontained proliferation risk.
    — Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • In many countries, alcohol consumption has already been decreasing for years, especially among young people.
    — Tim Brinkhof, Time, 23 July 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • Staffs are diminishing as layoffs in the industry remain rampant, as was seen in the ESPN firings this week, and reporters are being tasked with juggling several responsibilities at once.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
  • At 28 years old, clubs will also factor in his diminishing resale value.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 21 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
  • By the logic of pure procurement, AI bills should be shrinking.
    — Roman Shemet, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Mediation may yet come back into focus if oil markets panic and the price of crude returns above $100 on the back of shrinking reserves worldwide.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of shrinking
Verb
  • The rain will be tapering off and skies will be clearing in the afternoon.
    — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • The large multi-state outbreak in 2013 went from June to August before tapering off.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 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
  • However, declining vaccination rates fueled by vaccine hesitancy have created pockets of susceptible individuals where the virus can spread quickly.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • Idaho’s divorce rate has been steadily declining for nearly half a century, and since 2020, has been below the low-water mark set in 1956, according to data collected since 1950.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 July 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • On every metric—sales, profit, assets and market value—these bellwether companies, 787 from Asia, collectively scaled to record levels, most likely reaping gains from not letting up.
    — Naazneen Karmali, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Rain pummeled the ground outside the tunnel, but the storm was short-lived, gradually letting up and then stopping altogether.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 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 27 Jul. 2026.

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