adj
Meaning 1
Ghetto; unseemly, indecorous.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, derogatory, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
ratchet
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈɹæt͡ʃɪt/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ætʃɪt
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CMU ARPABET: R AE1 CH AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: R AE0 T CH AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A pawl, click, or detent for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel, or ratch and pawl.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A ratchet wrench.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A procedure or regulation that goes in one direction, usually up.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A mechanism for generating a new unique key for each message by moving forward in a sequence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: computing, cryptography, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A noisemaker or musical instrument where sound is generated by a board striking against a rotating gear.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
Ellipsis of full ratchet.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Topics: business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A person, usually a female, who acts or behaves in a ghetto, unseemly, or indecorous way or manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, derogatory, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To increment or decrement; especially, to offer controlled motion that can increment while resisting decrement, or vice versa.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- This holddown ratchets, which allows the person loading the trailer to cinch down the straps.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To cause (something) to become incremented or decremented.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- Get this holddown into position, but don't start ratcheting it yet. When I say go, you start ratcheting it, OK?
- It's time to ratchet up the intensity level here.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rachet, ratch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mechanical device
verb
Meaning 13
move by degrees in one direction only
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a ratcheting lopping tool
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rachet up, ratchet down
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: advance, progress, pass on, move on, march on, go on
History
Etymology
Possibly a variant (representing a Southern or specifically Louisianan pronunciation) of wretched. Compare rasslin' for wrestling.
From French rochet (“bobbin, spindle, ratchet”), from Italian rocchetto (“spool, ratchet”).
Across languages
Translations
32 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: cadell — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Catalan: trinquet — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Dutch: pal — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Finnish: räikkä — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- French: rochet — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- German: Sperrklinke — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Hebrew: רַעֲשָׁן (ra'ashán) — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Italian: nottolino — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Italian: cricchetto — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Persian: ضامن چرخ دنده (zâmen-e čarx-dande) — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Polish: zapadka — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Spanish: matraca — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Spanish: trinquete — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Spanish: linguete — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Spanish: pal — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- Swedish: spärrhake — pawl, click or detent for a ratchet wheel
- German: Gesperre — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Italian: ruota a cricchetto — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Italian: arpionismo — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Persian: چرخ ضامندار (čarx-e zâmen-dâr) — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Polish: mechanizm zębatkowo-zapadkowy — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Russian: храпови́к (xrapovík) — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Spanish: matraca — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Spanish: carraca — mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel and pawl
- Czech: řehtačka — noisemaker
- Czech: hrkačka — noisemaker
- Italian: munire di arpionismo — transitive
- Polish: stopniowo zmieniać wielkość — transitive
- Polish: stopniowo zmienić wielkość — transitive
- Italian: funzionare grazie ad un arpionismo — intransitive
- Polish: stopniowo zmieniać wielkość — intransitive
- Polish: stopniowo zmienić wielkość — intransitive