variants
also racheted (down)
as in decreased
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 ratcheted (down)
Verb
-
That was in 2021, when league revenues decreased as a result of the pandemic.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026 -
Shooting percentages rapidly decreased after the intermission, and each team scored just 11 points in the third quarter.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
More elderly people could find themselves at the mercy of an obscure government program meant to save them from harm and preserve their dignity when their ability to take care of themselves is diminished.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But with the chances of a Fed rate cut later this year highly diminished now and, with the reality that a cut (if it is issued) is likely to be by just 25 basis points, these estimates are unlikely to change dramatically, either.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But eventually, the anger ebbed; replaced by an all-too-familiar ache of grief laced with longing.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
-
West Ham’s defending once caused consternation among the fanbase, but those concerns have slowly ebbed away.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Royal Navy has shrunk dramatically since the Cold War ended, with combat-ready ships declining from 166 in 1975 to 66 in 2025, following decades of military spending cuts.—
Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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Those commitments come at a time when domestic drug manufacturing had shrunk significantly.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Floorboards were milled from walnut trees felled at a construction site in North Carolina.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
2 Apr. 2026
-
With a hollow interior trunk, Stumpy was among 158 trees felled in 2024 as part of a project aimed at shoring up a sea wall near the National Mall.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ndiaye also declined to clear the ball, instead trying to thread a pass to retreating teammate Jake Dengler inside the 18-yard box.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In some places, fish catches declined precipitously in medium depths, which Joye attributes to nutritionally barren conditions.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That improvement tapered off, however, over the course of the last two weeks.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But then construction tapered off, helping stabilize rent prices and occupancy rates.—
Lily O'Neill,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ratcheted (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheted%20%28down%29. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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