demoted; demoting
1
: to reduce to a lower grade or rank
demote a student
was demoted from major to captain
2
: to relegate to a less important position
a pitcher demoted to the bullpen
Examples of demote in a Sentence
Teachers can choose to demote a student to a lower grade.
The army major was demoted to captain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Informed that he would be demoted to a depth role, Spence asked for a trade and was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for two mid-round draft picks.
—
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
With the arrival of John Harbaugh at the Giants and the appointment of Dawn Aponte, Joe Schoen seemingly has been demoted/relegated to only scouting.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The 30-year-old said that the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and getting demoted in less than a week’s time — taught him a lot about himself.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Gingles had been nearly demoted at his job, the co-worker said, due to taking too much time off because of his pending divorce.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
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Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
With the arrival of John Harbaugh at the Giants and the appointment of Dawn Aponte, Joe Schoen seemingly has been demoted/relegated to only scouting.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The 30-year-old said that the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and getting demoted in less than a week’s time — taught him a lot about himself.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Gingles had been nearly demoted at his job, the co-worker said, due to taking too much time off because of his pending divorce.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demote. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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