American Heritage Dictionary
(4)
Century Dictionary
(2)
GNU Webster's 1913
(1)
WordNet
(2)
Elsewhere on the web
One of the most frightening thoughts about Europe is that as the ratchet has been tightening there will only be one way for it to loosen.— Libertarian Blog Place
It has a serrated tab that fits into the buckle mechanism like a ratchet, and it releases quickly.— webBikeWorld.com
The ratchet is a fine-tooth model, meaning it takes less than five degrees of swing to activate the ratcheting mechanism.— Toolmonger: The Week In Tools
He thinks that so long as the total city budget has grown year to year, and it has, that the ratchet is a myth.— Colorado Springs Independent
Climate change is like a ratchet, which we wind up by releasing CO— RealClimate

American Heritage Dictionary (1)
Century Dictionary (1)
Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year
Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed
You can expect to see this word several times a year.
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