ratchets (down)

verb

variants also rachets (down)
present tense third-person singular of ratchet (down)
as in decreases
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratchets (down)
  1. decreases
  2. diminishes
  3. ebbs
  4. shrinks
  5. tapers off
  6. declines
Verb
  • Eat plenty of fiber, which aids digestion and decreases your risk.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 7 July 2026
  • As greenhouse gases cool and shrink this upper atmospheric region, atmospheric drag decreases.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Definition of decreases
Verb
  • In most lakes oxygen content diminishes rapidly at depths below 35 feet.
    — Jack G. Mell, Outdoor Life, 2 July 2026
  • None of this diminishes the responsibility of wealthy countries.
    — W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of diminishes
Verb
  • The district’s cash on hand naturally ebbs and flows depending on when revenue arrives, but repeated Cook County property tax delays last year have deepened the problem.
    — Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
  • Participation ebbs and flows with the economy, dropping to 35 million in 2019.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 19 June 2026
Definition of ebbs
Verb
  • Still, Beijing is betting billions of dollars on humanoid robots as a strategic technology that could increase productivity as economic growth slows and its workforce shrinks.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • Under sustained acceleration, leadership teams frequently start operating within more compressed decision cycles where immediate demands dominate attention and time for reflection gradually shrinks.
    — ByPaul L. Gunn, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of shrinks
Verb
  • Acuna’s show business resume tapers off in the mid-2010’s, according to IMDB.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
  • After the strongest storms move out, colder air will settle in with the possibility of a few wet snowflakes before the precipitation tapers off.
    — Gregory Padgett, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Definition of tapers off
Verb
  • Many international students pay full tuition, turning them an increasingly important source of revenue as domestic enrollment declines.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Alan Jackson declines comment With that, the judge left the bench, taking no comment or questions from the lawyers present.
    — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of declines
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

ratcheting (up)
ratchets (down)
ratchets (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Ratchets (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratchets%20%28down%29. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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