Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

ratchet

2 verb
     
ratchet2

ratchet up

phrasal verb
to increase something by a small amount, especially after a series of increases, or to increase in this way
ratchet something ↔ up
Raising the minimum wage would ratchet up real incomes in general.
The debate will ratchet up a notch on Wednesday when the Commission publishes its report.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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