ratchet
(redirected from ratchets up)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms.
Related to ratchets up: ratchet wheel
ratchet
1. a device in which a toothed rack or wheel is engaged by a pawl to permit motion in one direction only
2. the toothed rack or wheel forming part of such a device
ratchet
[′rach·ət] (design engineering)
A wheel, usually toothed, operating with a catch or a pawl so as to rotate in only a single direction.