variants
also racheting (down)
as in decreasing
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 ratcheting (down)
Verb
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That’s due to home price growth that is mostly flat or slightly declining because of decreasing demand and increasing supply, according to the National Association of Home Builders.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025 -
This reflectivity is known as albedo, and Earth’s overall albedo has been decreasing for decades.—
Ryan Green,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Additionally, the invading trees and shrubs also compete with prairie plants for light, water, and space, often pushing the grassland plants out of the way and diminishing the habitat options available to animals that depend on native plants.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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Survey participants said reasons for the diminishing access included affordability, fears about not being taken seriously or the potential for involuntary hospitalization, the survey said.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In ‘04, three seasons after the last of five national championships, Miami’s glory-days era was ebbing.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Supporters argue that downstate residents have been politically sidelined for decades — victims of a system that concentrates power and money in Chicago while rural communities struggle with job losses, rising taxes, and shrinking populations.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Following a young woman navigating life after growing up in an orphanage, the film transforms her shrinking apartment into a dreamlike maze of memory and loss, using striking visual metaphors to explore belonging, self-worth, and the fragile hope of starting over.—
Essie Assibu,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Moreover, heavy snow will develop over the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Tuesday, tapering off by Wednesday.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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Williams added that the underlying drivers of the silver market show no sign of tapering off, suggesting the bull run on silver could be sustained well into 2026.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Like a snake shedding its skin, The Girlfriend’s expendable outer layers are falling away to reveal a more interesting core.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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Gallagher had an underwhelming first year with Atletico, which started well before falling away, and now finds himself no longer a first choice for coach Diego Simeone.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Contract options exercised for 4 The club exercised contract options on Stephen Afrifa, Zorhan Bassong, Jansen Miller and John Pulskamp, while declining options for Tim Leibold, Nemanja Radoja, Ryan Schewe, Shelton and Mason Toye.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
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However, her cousin the followed up, and the OP wrote back declining the invite.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The expansion is being fueled by its cloud infrastructure business as demand for AI is showing no signs of letting up.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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And there are no signs of letting up as a new nine-month term dawns in October with more major cases awaiting.—
Jan Wolfe,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ratcheting (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratcheting%20%28down%29. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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