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
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Last year, the number of officers killed decreased, both in terms of officers killed as a result of felonious acts and those killed accidentally.—
Kenneth D. Robinson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026 -
In addition, overall passenger numbers decreased 20% after Spirit exited a route, which indicates that rival airlines did not immediately step forward to fill the void.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Verb
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However, Apple hasn’t followed its megacap peers in sinking tens of billions of dollars into building out AI infrastructure, which has diminished the stock’s correlation to the rest of the tech industry.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Still, the music flourished on terrestrial radio and music-video television, two venues for mass musical experiences whose power has diminished drastically in the streaming era.—
Jack Hamilton,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That homecoming hasn’t exactly been a straight line for Alvarado, whose playing time has ebbed and flowed since his arrival in early February.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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With both games kicking off at 3pm UK time, the news of each other’s fortunes was drip-fed to the fans — via smartphones rather than the transistor radios of the past — around Molineux and the London Stadium as emotions ebbed and flowed.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ben Clemens at FanGraphs measured the change, relative to the 2025 regular season, and found that the zone has shrunk at the top of the zone and on the edges of the plate.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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Can’t one or two of the others on that page be shrunk a little to accommodate it?—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But before he was felled at age 68 by a heart attack, Joiner had shared what was in the briefcase with the lead Louisiana State Police investigator on the case, Stefan Montgomery, Joiner's son and the LSP confirmed.—
Stephanie Gosk,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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John Adams famously wrote to his wife, Abigail, that smallpox was killing 10 soldiers for every one felled in battle.—
Katrine L. Wallace,
The Conversation,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After 16 years of one-party rule, the cost of living has been driven out of reach for working families, and quality of life has declined in too many communities.—
Steve Hilton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
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Seton Hall did more with less under Shaheen Holloway, but didn’t collect enough strong wins outside of the conference to flip onto the right side of the March Madness bubble and declined any other postseason invitations.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The 2025 event in Virginia helped bolster the coin's value for a time, but interest in the currency again tapered off.—
Lucien Bruggeman,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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What initially felt like a meteoric rise tapered off into a slow burn.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
17 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 4 May. 2026.
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