ratchet up
To keep making something bigger or more intense, one step at a time, in a way that's hard to undo.
Meanings
To increase something steadily in incremental steps, especially in a way that is hard to reverse.
"Sanctions have ratcheted up the pressure on the government to comply."
"The administration has ratcheted up its rhetoric against the country."
— The Washington Post, 2019
(Intransitive) To increase or intensify gradually and irreversibly.
"Tensions between the two countries ratcheted up throughout the summer."
The metaphor comes from a ratchet — a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction. This irreversibility is central to the meaning. Common in political, economic, and security contexts. Can be transitive ('ratchet up the pressure') or intransitive ('tensions ratcheted up').
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Forms
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