ratchets (up)

verb

variants also rachets (up)
present tense third-person singular of ratchet (up)
as in bumps (up)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchets (up)
  1. increases
  2. maximizes
Verb
  • During pregnancy, iron demand increases to support both the baby and placenta, while postpartum recovery can further lower ferritin due to blood loss.
    — Tatiana Dias, Vogue, 30 June 2026
  • Beginning a section of rules with a short explanation about the rule’s purpose makes a more positive statement to the community, and hopefully increases community compliance and cooperation.
    — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Julia Taliesin, an economic analyst and licensed insurance agent at the comparison site Insurify, says the same rule applies broadly across the industry, and that buying right after booking maximizes eligibility for time-sensitive add-ons.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • This maximizes the efficiency and potency of the ingredient’s plumping, hydrating, wrinkle-filling, fine-line smoothing benefits.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 24 June 2026
Definition of maximizes
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

ratchets (down)
ratchets (up)
ratchet (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ratchets (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratchets%20%28up%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All