down·grade
ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād 
1
: a downward grade (as of a road)
2
: a descent toward an inferior state
a career on the downgrade
downgraded; downgrading; downgrades
Synonyms
Examples of downgrade in a Sentence
Noun
a downgrade in the company's stock prices
a singing career on the downgrade
Verb
The restaurant was downgraded from three to two stars.
She didn't intend to downgrade the importance of her colleague's work.
Recent Examples on the Web
David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Those developments over the past month appeared to be the major catalyst for Freddie Mac’s big downgrade in its housing market outlook.
—Byjason Ma, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for downgrade 
Noun
The Biden administration is now using strategic downgrades against China, too.
—David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Those developments over the past month appeared to be the major catalyst for Freddie Mac’s big downgrade in its housing market outlook.
—Byjason Ma, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for downgrade
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downgrade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near downgrade
Cite this Entry
“Downgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downgrade. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downgrade
1 of 2 noun
down·grade
-ˌgrād
1
: a downward slope
2
: a lowering toward a worse condition
a neighborhood on the downgrade
downgrade
adverb
downgrade
2 of 2 verb
: to lower in grade, rank, or standing
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