ratchet (down)

verb

variants also rachet (down)
Definition of ratchet (down)next
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchet (down)
  1. decrease
  2. diminish
  3. shrink
  4. ebb
  5. decline
  6. taper off
Verb
  • Fifty-two percent of companies found that implementing AI decreased their supply chain management costs—and for 41%, a decrease of over 10%.
    Bobby Marhamat, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Favorable weather contributed to the decline in milk prices, with the cost of whole milk decreasing by more than 14 percent.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Definition of decrease
Verb
  • But now, arrivals have diminished significantly, and officials closed the city’s last migrant shelter last month.
    Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Black Lives Matter is severely diminished as an institution.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • If all four Democratic gains stand, the GOP majority in the Senate would shrink to 18-15.
    Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Twenty-two years later, that overwhelming majority had shrunk to 37%, according to census data cited by a city dashboard.
    Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
Definition of shrink
Verb
  • And Tennessee’s recent passage of anti-LGBTQIA+ and pro-gun legislation has not significantly ebbed the flow of West and East Coast transplants to Nashville that began during the pandemic as Hollywood stars increasingly flocking to the city — whether to dine, to catch a show, or to house hunt.
    Jessica Ritz, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
  • The lack of alignment between father and son ebbs into the background until about 44 minutes into the film, when the son comes into better focus, the story no longer content to leave him in the background as a foil.
    Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Definition of ebb
Verb
  • The other side: The Nooksack Tribal Council declined to comment this week, but justified the evictions in a statement released this month by asserting its sovereign right to govern housing on tribal lands and to prioritize the needs of its current members.
    Christine Clarridge, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
  • In the third quarter the negative trend in APAC mitigated, declining 3 percent, with a clear improvement compared to the previous three months, mainly driven by acceleration outside Greater China and South Korea.
    Luisa Zargani, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of decline
Verb
  • Increasing Daytime Movement Whitetail research shows that daytime movement gradually increases throughout summer and fall, peaks during the rut, and tapers off into the late season.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 24 Oct. 2024
  • For her monologue, Grande wore a magenta strapless dress complete with a corseted top and an extreme sweetheart neckline, which flared out into a voluminous tulip skirt that tapered off at her calves.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2024
Definition of taper off
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near ratchet (down)

ratbags

ratchet (down)

ratcheted (down)

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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 30 Nov. 2024.

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