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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchet (down)
Verb
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These students, many already at an educational disadvantage, are left with instability, fewer learning opportunities and decreased academic performance.—
Lakeisha Wells Palmer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2025 -
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Give credit without diminishing your own contributions.—
Marvin Krislov,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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But missing those goals doesn’t diminish the importance of potentially revising the target, for which the Paris Agreement includes a review mechanism, Stokes said.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
21 May 2025
Verb
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The layoffs of tens of thousands of staff across the federal government are a critical piece of a push by the Republican president and billionaire adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government and drastically cut spending.—
Daniel Wiessner,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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The fish that shrank, the study found, had a much higher chance of surviving.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The pattern that defined this period—an uptick in spying during war, and then its ebbing in peacetime—poses a problem for Rogg and Lowenthal, whose accounts of the years between the Revolution and World War II are overstuffed with desultory detail.—
James Santel,
The Atlantic,
8 May 2025
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Four House Democrats made a separate trip to raise concerns over Abrego Garcia’s due process rights, but those visits have since ebbed as Republicans accuse the Democrats of being out of touch with voters on immigration.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo declined to comment on the WSJ report.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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Yields have risen and the dollar has declined moderately.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service expects more rain and drizzle for the metro on Wednesday, with a high of 51 Rain showers are likely for most of the area today, the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service reports, but will taper off from north to south tonight.—
John Autey,
Twin Cities,
21 May 2025
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The rain started to taper off as the diamond dry was applied to the dirt and the game was paused for several minutes.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
15 May 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 4 Jun. 2025.
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