ratchet up

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ratchet up

Where it comes from

From the action of a ratchet; used both literally and figuratively.

verb ratchets up · ratcheting up · ratcheted up

ambitransitive To increase; especially, to increase by degrees in a way that only gets worse, never experiencing any reprieves. Near-synonyms: dial up, hike up
Similar: dial up, hike up · Opposite: dial back, relieve, let off, let up

Translations

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verb to increase

Deutsch	hochschrauben

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MLA

"ratchet up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ratchet%20up. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ratchet up. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ratchet%20up

Chicago

"ratchet up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ratchet%20up.

BibTeX

@misc{ratchet_up_2026,
  title = {ratchet up},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ratchet%20up},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}