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Glite Dictionary
to ratchet down

to ratchet down

1 7.2
To make something less in small steps that are hard to bring back
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈræʧɪt daʊn/
translation icon : reducir
  • Why? As they ratcheted down in a predictable manner, plant owners can make a rational decision to add controls, reduce operations, or shut down.
  • ratchet down wages
  • ratchet down tensions
  • ratchet down the rhetoric

Another option for Western countries would be to ratchet down oil imports rather than halting them completely.

Examples

  • Another option for Western countries would be to ratchet down oil imports rather than halting them completely.

    Patrick Boyle

  • Members of Congress have ratcheted down the amount of time they spend in Washington, which has led to a sharp decline in the number of days Congress is in session and the number of committee meetings that are held.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The central bank ratcheted down its projections for economic growth in 2012 and extended a program known as "Operation Twist" aimed at pushing down long-term interest rates to aid the economy.

    Blog text (20)

  • That is also troubling because current proposals for tackling climate change involve dramatically ratcheting down human greenhouse gas emissions and allowing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to gradually drop.

    Blog text (21)

  • Tricks like rent-to-own or straight rentals will work at the middle range of the market for a few more months, but even though it's likely New York's historically tight rental market will persist, those buildings will go wanting for tenants as people scramble to ratchet down their housing costs.

    Blog text (18)

  • The government plans to ratchet down emissions gradually over the next decade.

  • To combat the economic downturn, the company decided to ratchet down its production levels step by step.

  • In response to the criticism, the team will ratchet down their aggressive marketing strategies.

Synonyms

to lower
vsto ratchet down
802 1.0

Make something go down in position, amount, or strength

means reduction in ordered steps that resists easy reversal
to bring down
vsto ratchet down
89 3.0

Make an amount or level lower

implies stepwise cuts that are intended to be irreversible
to lessen
vsto ratchet down
34 2.8

To make something smaller in amount or strength

specifies a gradual stepped decrease that is hard to undo
to dial back
vsto ratchet down
14 4.1

Make something, like a taste, sound, or plan, less strong

involves staged reduction that tends to be difficult to reverse
to whittle down
vsto ratchet down
10 5.1

To make a list or group smaller by removing items over time

reduces through stepwise cuts that resist easy reversal
to pare down
vsto ratchet down
9 4.4

Make something smaller by removing parts you do not need

works by staged decreases that are not easily undone
to dial down
vsto ratchet down
4 4.1

To make a feeling, sound, or action less strong

reduces in successive steps and typically cannot be easily reversed
to whittle away
vsto ratchet down
3 5.9

To make something smaller gradually by cutting or wearing it away

reduces in discrete steps and is hard to reverse

Antonyms

to ratchet up
18 6.7

To increase something slowly until it becomes hard to reduce

How Much

to slash
79 3.7
to ratchet down
1 7.2
to cut
∞ 2.3
to trim
95 2.6

Surface Forms

ratchet down infinitive
ratcheted down past
ratcheted down past participle
ratcheting down present participle
ratchets down third person singular

Morphology

ratchet + down

The sense 'reduce gradually in steps' is directly built from 'ratchet' (incremental, one-way movement) plus 'down' (lower/decrease), so a learner who knows those lexical meanings can compose the MWE meaning. The one-way/irreversible nuance is encoded in the meaning of 'ratchet' rather than being an arbitrary idiom, and the verb+particle pattern is a regular compositional structure in English, making the expression predictable.

Etymology

The phrasal verb ratchet down comes from a simple tool called a ratchet. A ratchet lets a part move in small steps and stops it from going back, so to ratchet down means to 'reduce' something bit by bit, often in a way that is hard to go back.