ratchet

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 license also gives UBS more options as regulators in Switzerland ratchet up its capital requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 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

And also, to Judge McKeown’s point: Won’t this one-way ratchet just completely collapse public confidence in the judiciary?

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

Investors might be protecting profits as geopolitical tensions ratchet higher.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

A venerable tradition, dating back to the ancient Greek orators, teaches that if you don’t know what you’re talking about, just ratchet up the level of difficulty and no one will ever know.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner