downgrade

noun

down·grade | \ ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād

Definition of downgrade

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a downward grade (as of a road)

2 : a descent toward an inferior state a career on the downgrade

downgrade

verb

downgraded; downgrading; downgrades

Definition of downgrade (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to lower in quality, value, status, or extent

2 : minimize, depreciate

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about downgrade

Keep scrolling for more

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: Noun

Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric face potential credit rating downgrades if the deadline isn’t met. — J.d. Morris, SFChronicle.com, "California’s big PG&E wildfire bill: What you need to know," 8 July 2019 Since oil prices began to decline in 2014, the state has been hit with credit-rating downgrades and a shrinking economy. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Alaska’s governor makes unprecedented cuts in state university spending," 6 July 2019 The moves will lead to several downgrades to investment products, said people familiar with the matter. — Dawn Lim, WSJ, "Morningstar Overhauls Influential Ratings System," 28 June 2019 The White House insists that Kushner’s job will be unaffected by this week’s downgrade to his security clearance. — Washington Post, "Kushner’s clearance downgrade could leave him ‘flying blind’," 7 Mar. 2018 That prospect has grown more possible as Wall Street has warned of more credit rating downgrades if Sacramento does not act swiftly and decisively. — J.d. Morris, SFChronicle.com, "Newsom pitches wildfire claims relief plan for PG&E — with conditions," 21 June 2019 The Rift S upgrades some stats and downgrades others, with 1280x1440 per eye, or a total resolution of 2560x1440. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Hands-on: The $399 Oculus Rift S kicks off the next gen of PC-based VR by appealing to the masses," 20 Mar. 2019 The downgrade leaves the highly indebted Pemex’s rating at... — Anthony Harrup, WSJ, "Fitch Cuts Mexico’s Pemex Rating by Two Notches," 29 Jan. 2019 Internal shots from the FCC show a 2820mAh battery on the G7 Play, which sounds like an extremely disappointing downgrade from the 4000mAh battery included in the G6 Play. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Moto G7 Play pops up at the FCC with notch design, dramatically smaller battery," 27 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

If results are promising, the advisory would be downgraded from warning to caution. — oregonlive.com, "Public health advisory for algae remains at Vancouver Lake, lifted at Lacamas and Round lakes," 2 July 2019 And yes, that would suggest that Premium users would be downgraded to using two devices at once rather than four. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Netflix Is Testing Higher Prices for Watching Ultra HD Video," 4 July 2018 Also left out are the Italian chefs whose dishes from the southern end of the peninsula were about to be downgraded in favor of risotto, osso buco and other northern specialties. — New York Times, "How American Chefs in the 1970s and ’80s Created a Revolution," 30 May 2018 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told lawmakers Tuesday that if Moscow is shown to have been involved, the government would act — possibly downgrading England’s participation in this year’s soccer World Cup in Russia. — Washington Post, "UK police: Russian ex-spy was attacked with nerve agent," 7 Mar. 2018 His job as a salesman for Montgomery Ward was downgraded to commission-only. — Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times, "How Elizabeth Warren Learned to Fight," 24 June 2019 Some facilities were downgraded because their payroll records showed no registered nurse hours for four days or more, while others failed to provide payroll information. — Cara Rosner, courant.com, "Half of nursing homes in state rated above average for staffing under new rankings," 19 June 2019 The most serious charge against Cannady — aggravated assault — was downgraded to a disorderly persons offense. — Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star, "Former Mishawaka Marion star Devin Cannady opens up about mental health, arrest," 14 June 2019 Snow leopards were downgraded in September 2017 from endangered to vulnerable. — Robin Goist, cleveland.com, "Snow leopard cub born at Akron Zoo," 5 June 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about downgrade

Dictionary Entries near downgrade

Statistics for downgrade

Last Updated

11 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for downgrade

The first known use of downgrade was in 1847

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for downgrade

downgrade

noun

Financial Definition of downgrade

What It Is

A downgrade is an announcement of an analyst lowering their opinion on the desirability of a company as an investment. It can apply to either debt or equity.

How It Works

Downgrades can come from a variety of sources: brokerage firms, research firms, ratings agencies, etc.

Downgrades of equities can happen for several reasons, but usually they center on industry, regulatory, technology, or management changes that the analyst feels will hinder the issuer's future performance. These factors create fundamental shifts in the analyst's outlook, making the security appear either fully valued or overvalued.

Debt downgrades generally come from ratings agencies such as Moody's or Standard & Poor's (S&P). A downgrade from one of them is a major signal that an issuer is more likely to default on its debt. If a bond is downgraded to a level below investment grade (aka, "junk"), there is often a serious sell off of those bonds, because most institutional investors are forbidden from owning junk bonds.

Why It Matters

Ratings have a large influence on the demand of a security. Downgrades (or even rumors of downgrades) tell investors that a security is now believed to be riskier, which may have a negative impact on the security's price. In turn, downgrades often lead to less trading activity and lowered liquidity.

Source: Investing Answers

downgrade

noun