variants
also racheting (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)
Verb
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Steiger's presentation also highlighted how the district has taken measures to reduce spending, like cutting off purchasing cards and decreasing non-school spending.—
Austin Horn
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026 -
With decreasing revenue from the gas tax and increasing costs, Behrens said that over the next decade, the state will face a $216 billion shortfall.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The swell on Saturday, which brought moderate 3-to 5-foot surf, was diminishing by the evening and into Sunday, said Sebastian Westerink, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
7 June 2026
-
This put him in the unusual position of being both an embarrassment and a hugely valuable asset to the BBC, as well as the focus of frequent criticism from the UK’s right-leaning media, most of whom have a commercial interest in diminishing the BBC.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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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
-
The emergency itself seems to be ebbing.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
2 June 2026
Verb
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But in their conversation, these top names in the industry all showed deep concern about what such changes mean for showbiz’s shrinking middle class.—
Matt Brennan
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
America’s stockpile of emergency crude oil is shrinking fast, rapidly approaching the four-decade low set under former President Joe Biden.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The first-round showers and storms will move eastward through the rest of Saturday morning with the activity tapering off in the early afternoon.—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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For most movies, the opening weekend is the most lucrative, with ticket sales tapering off from there.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
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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
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On Wednesday, Mikel Arteta’s side face Bayer Leverkusen, who sit sixth in the Bundesliga after falling away since their famous unbeaten title-winning season in 2023-24.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Underlying the debate is an intense competition for public school students, which has become an existential threat in an era of sharply declining enrollment, especially given the reality that school districts are funded based on enrollment.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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More than a moral issue, the case risks a reputational crisis that could lead to declining sales, stock volatility, leadership instability and long-term damage to shareholder value, the organizations wrote.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The fact that travel isn’t letting up despite the higher costs isn’t a surprise, said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics consulting company.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
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So are tariffs, geopolitical volatility and economic uncertainty that shows no signs of letting up.—
Tony Loyd,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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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 14 Jun. 2026.
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