What does "ratchet" mean?
A pawl, click, or detent for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.
Ratchet
/ˈɹæt͡ʃɪt/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pawl, click, or detent for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.
- Grammar: ratchet is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: advance, boost, cog, comb.
- Useful contrasts: bidirectional device, classy, continuous.
- Usage evidence: We need to ratchet up the pressure. We can't let it simply subside.
How to use "ratchet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ratchet" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ratchet" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ratchet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ratchet" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ratchet" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ratchet", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pawl, click, or detent for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.
- 2 A person, usually a female, who acts or behaves in a ghetto, unseemly, or indecorous way or manner. US, derogatory, slang
"I love it when jaboons let their jibbering get them in 5 times as much trouble as they're already in. Let's see if this ratchet can keep her dick trap shut in court."
- 3 mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction wordnet
- 4 A mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel, or ratch and pawl.
- 5 A ratchet wrench.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A procedure or regulation that goes in one direction, usually up. broadly
"The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty."
- 7 A mechanism for generating a new unique key for each message by moving forward in a sequence.
- 8 A noisemaker or musical instrument where sound is generated by a board striking against a rotating gear.
"Ahead of them a group of mandibulous sales men had set up their combustion cups and incendiary ratchets to demonstrate their wares to whatever officers might come by."
- 9 Ellipsis of full ratchet. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Verb
- 1 To increment or decrement; especially, to offer controlled motion that can increment while resisting decrement, or vice versa. intransitive
"This holddown ratchets, which allows the person loading the trailer to cinch down the straps."
- 2 move by degrees in one direction only wordnet
- 3 To cause (something) to become incremented or decremented. transitive
"Get this holddown into position, but don't start ratcheting it yet. When I say go, you start ratcheting it, OK?"
Adjective
- 1 Ghetto; unseemly, indecorous. US, derogatory, slang
"The one thing that always accompanies Miley's ratchet look (along with the gang signs) is the tongue, which is sort of like saying this persona that she has adopted is some sort of gonzo idiot who can't keep its tongue in her head."
Antonyms
Example
"We need to ratchet up the pressure. We can't let it simply subside."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ratchet"?
Common synonyms include: advance, boost, cog, comb, crag, equipment.
How do you use "ratchet" in a sentence?
We need to ratchet up the pressure. We can't let it simply subside.
How do you pronounce "ratchet"?
Pronounced /ˈɹæt͡ʃɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French rochet (“bobbin, spindle, ratchet”), from Italian rocchetto (“spool, ratchet”).
Etymology 2
Possibly a variant (representing a Southern or specifically Louisianan pronunciation) of wretched. Compare rasslin' for wrestling.