demote

de·mote | \ di-ˈmōt

How to pronounce demote (audio)

, ˌdē-\

demoted; demoting

Definition of demote

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

Other Words from demote Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about demote

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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 And remember, the last two World Series winners basically demoted their closer during the playoffs. — Los Angeles Times, "Dodgers Dugout: How does Kenley Jansen compare to other possible playoff closers?," 16 Aug. 2019 Graham had just demoted Harris and fellow defensive lineman Tank Carradine, replacing them with Nate Orchard, a veteran claimed off the waiver wire this offseason, and Jonathan Ledbetter, an undrafted rookie from the University of Georgia. — Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, "It gets real for Dolphins: Time for tough-love period of camp with game in Tampa," 16 Aug. 2019 With the spread of print culture, orality was demoted, creating a hierarchy between those who could read and those who could not. — Kate Eichhorn, WIRED, "Social Media Could Make It Impossible to Grow Up," 8 July 2019 Charles Rice was demoted as Entergy New Orleans CEO in August. — Nola.com | The Times-picayune, nola.com, "Judge rules City Council violated open meetings law to approve Entergy plant," 14 June 2019 The proposal for the science adviser’s office would effectively demote the adviser. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "The EPA is making some alarming changes to its science and health divisions," 28 Sep. 2018 Gibson’s turnaround started in May 2017, when the Twins demoted him to the minors following a dismal April. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "Why Major League Pitchers Are Avoiding the Strike Zone," 30 July 2018 After Wyoming finished 1-9 in 1970, Eaton was demoted to assistant athletic director. — NBC News, "14 black football players kicked off team over protest armbands are honored 50 years later," 13 Sep. 2019 The 36-year-old was recently demoted to the Toffees' third-choice goalkeeper behind summer arrival Jonas Lossl, so the future looks even bleaker than before. — SI.com, "11 Players You Probably Didn't Realise Are Still Playing in the Premier League in 2019," 8 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'demote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near demote

demotic Egyptian

Statistics for demote

Last Updated

26 Oct 2019

Time Traveler for demote

The first known use of demote was circa 1891

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