variants
also rachet (down)
as in to decrease
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 ratchet (down)
Verb
-
However, their wage bills only decreased by 28 per cent.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2025 -
Keeping those cuts on the books would decrease revenue by $4.5 trillion from 2025 through 2034, according to estimates from the Tax Foundation.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As time went on, her pain diminished, but August decided to go to the emergency room.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The VMAs, which have seen their social capital diminish over the past few years, delivered a promising ceremony in 2024.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Like Wells, many business owners are thinking of pulling back: perhaps shrink the store's selection so there's less to ship, freeze hiring, pause advertising or developing new products — stop growing and go into survival mode.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
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If the company stumbles—or worse, goes bust—your deferred cash could shrink or vanish.—
Anatoly Iofe,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At that stage, optimism over Moyes remaining gradually ebbed away.—
Roshane Thomas,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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The carrier had arrived at a naval base in Crete earlier in the week, a rare break for the strike group that has been in constant operations, though the pace had ebbed as Israel's ceasefire with Hamas took effect in mid-January.—
Luis Martinez,
ABC News,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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With declining childhood vaccination rates nationwide and multiple state outbreaks, public health officials remain concerned about maintaining the country's measles elimination status.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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But declining attendances now sees that held in February each year.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The viewership began to taper off after that point, but TGL’s regular season ratings still averaged 513,000 viewers.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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The winds are expected to taper off Friday, dropping to about 15 miles per hour.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
24 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ratchet (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratchet%20%28down%29. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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