ratcheted (down)

verb

variants also racheted (down)
past tense of ratchet (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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratcheted (down)
  1. decreased
  2. diminished
  3. ebbed
  4. shrank
  5. fell
  6. declined
  7. tapered off
Verb
  • This means any slowdown in the labor market could create a more serious consumption problem, with the same households facing slower income growth and decreased access to credit.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And the number of young people who stayed on medication for six months — already quite low — may have actually decreased.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreased
Verb
  • That is quite far apart from the commercial industry, which actually stands to be diminished by these policy reforms.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 7 Oct. 2026
  • By raw numbers, net domestic out-migration of Californians to other states continues even as the California exodus overall has diminished in strength.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of diminished
Verb
  • The golden era of sports print journalism ebbed and began to die.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The new era of worker power that labor advocates proclaimed as the pandemic ebbed was something of a chimera.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of ebbed
Verb
  • Walmart China, for instance, has shrunk portion sizes to match households’ smaller appetites.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Since their debut in 1986, American Girl has shrunk their historical line significantly–including paring down the traditional six-book set for each historical character into two streamlined texts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of shrank
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • Police initially declined to share details about the victim beyond his age and gender to The Times on Thursday night.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Warsh at the start of the summer declined to say whether rates should rise.
    — Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of declined
Verb
  • As the rains tapered off and the skies cleared, Paterson's annual Dominican parade stepped off Sunday afternoon, though with a slight delay.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
  • However, Brissett's play tapered off after he was hobbled by a knee injury.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of tapered 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.

Browse Nearby Words

ratchet (down)
ratcheted (down)
ratcheted (up)
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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 9 Oct. 2026.

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