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
Politicized Prosecutions: Martin has reshaped the office to reflect Trump’s priorities, firing or demoting prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and targeting Trump’s critics with legal threats.
—
Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 24 Apr. 2025
Jose Miranda summons his inner ‘Hamilton’ After getting demoted to the minors, Lin-Manuel Miranda's cousin became an early leader in our annual Injury of the Year competition.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Powell has said the law is clear he cannot be fired or demoted, but does that matter?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2025
Powell has also noted that, under the law, presidents may not fire or demote the Fed chair.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 24 Apr. 2025
Jose Miranda summons his inner ‘Hamilton’ After getting demoted to the minors, Lin-Manuel Miranda's cousin became an early leader in our annual Injury of the Year competition.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Powell has said the law is clear he cannot be fired or demoted, but does that matter?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2025
Powell has also noted that, under the law, presidents may not fire or demote the Fed chair.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demote. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share