demote

verb

de·​mote di-ˈmōt 

ˌdē-

demoted; demoting

transitive verb

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

demotion

di-ˈmō-shən 

ˌdē-

noun

Synonyms

• reduce
• dismiss

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

Ballard is a maverick who’s been demoted to assembling a volunteer team, literally in the basement, to review cold case files. —Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 6 July 2025

Then there is Liam Lawson, who was demoted from the Red Bull second seat down to Racing Bulls. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025

Several national security hawks have been ousted from Trump’s national security team including Mike Waltz, who was demoted from National Security Adviser to the less-powerful role of UN ambassador. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025

She was subsequently demoted, and her old job was given to a gay man. —Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 12 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

de- + -mote (as in promote)

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for demote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• denote
• devote
• endnote
• footnote
• greatcoat

Kids Definition

demote

verb

de·​mote di-ˈmōt 

ˈdē-

demoted; demoting

: to reduce to a lower grade or rank

demotion

di-ˈmō-shən 

ˈdē-

noun