ratchet

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ratch·et / ˈrachit/ • n. a device consisting of a bar or wheel with a set of angled teeth in which a pawl, cog, or tooth engages, allowing motion in one direction only. ∎  a bar or wheel that has such a set of teeth. ∎ fig. a situation or process that is perceived to be deteriorating or changing steadily in a series of irreversible steps: the best way to reverse the ratchet of socialism.• v. (ratch·et·ed, ratch·et·ing) [tr.] operate by means of a ratchet. ∎  (ratchet something up/down) fig. cause something to rise (or fall) as a step in what is perceived as a steady and irreversible process: the Bank of Japan ratcheted up interest rates again. ∎  [intr.] make a sound like a ratchet.

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