ratchet
1[ rach-it ]
/ ˈrætʃ ɪt /
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noun
a toothed bar with which a pawl engages.
(not in technical use) a pawl or the like used with a ratchet or ratchet wheel.
a mechanism consisting of such a bar or wheel with the pawl.
a steady progression up or down: the upward ratchet of oil prices.
verb (used with or without object)
to move by degrees (often followed by up or down): to ratchet prices up; Interest rates have been ratcheting downward.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of ratchet
1First recorded in 1650–60; alteration of French rochet; Middle French rocquet “a blunt lance-head,” from Germanic; compare Old High German rocko, roccho “distaff”
Other definitions for ratchet (2 of 2)
ratchet2
[ rach-it ]
/ ˈrætʃ ɪt /
adjective Slang.
flashy, unrefined, etc.; low-class: ratchet girls wearing too much makeup.
exhibiting or affirming low-class traits in a way that is considered authentic: Better to stay a ratchet bitch than become a bougie poser like her.
extremely good; awesome.
Also ratched [racht] /rætʃt/ .
Origin of ratchet
2First recorded in 1990–95; from a dance and genre of hip-hop music originating in Shreveport, Louisiana
OTHER WORDS FROM ratchet
ratch·et·ness, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ratchet in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ratchet
ratchet
/ (ˈrætʃɪt) /
noun
a device in which a toothed rack or wheel is engaged by a pawl to permit motion in one direction only
the toothed rack or wheel forming part of such a device
verb
to operate using a ratchet
(usually foll by up or down) to increase or decrease, esp irreversiblyelectricity prices will ratchet up this year; Hitchcock ratchets up the tension once again
Word Origin for ratchet
C17: from French rochet, from Old French rocquet blunt head of a lance, of Germanic origin: compare Old High German rocko distaff
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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