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
  • Blue bands ranging from 90% to 25% show decreasing solar coverage across Europe, northern Africa, Canada and parts of the United States.
    — Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the decline in China’s agricultural labor force, driven by the migration of farmers to urban and industrial centers, is also decreasing productivity.
    — Caitlin Welsh, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • Several Gulf countries have already announced plans to expand or build new pipeline capacity to evade the Strait of Hormuz, likely diminishing its importance as a chokepoint within several years.
    — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But each step up the sanctions ladder brings greater diplomatic costs — and diminishing certainty that additional economic damage will translate into political concessions.
    — Magdalena Del Valle, Fortune, 13 Aug. 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
  • The 2025 report found that the Arctic experienced its warmest year on record, fueling melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, and shifts in local ecosystems.
    — Daniel Peck, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Given China’s shrinking labor force and the effects of overproduction and climate change on its arable land, Beijing is likely to remain reliant on foreign food products in the coming years.
    — Caitlin Welsh, Foreign Affairs, 11 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
  • Farage did not give a victory speech after declining to attend the declaration, claiming police had warned of a campaign to disrupt it.
    — Reagan Yip, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Is the town’s population growing or declining, and by how much?
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 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)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ratcheting (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28down%29. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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