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ratchet

[rach-it] / ˈrætʃ ɪt /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The brief “Target Practice” opens the LP with a jaunty acoustic guitar figure and Mr. Picton’s somewhat reedy voice, and then adds a string section and massed voices that ratchet up the density and volume.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

He could continue to ratchet up the US attacks on Iran, possibly doing long-term damage to the nation's civilian infrastructure, adding to a humanitarian crisis and further destablising the global economy.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

But a third factor is entangled in this equation: access to food and water, both of which become more difficult to acquire as wars spread and global temperatures ratchet upward.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

Likewise, $200 oil would ratchet up the probability of a global recession—40% to 60%—and global stock markets would fall 15% to 30% from their highs.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Plate 15 shows his design for a ratchet winch.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton




Vocabulary lists containing ratchet