down·grade
ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād 
1
: a downward grade (as of a road)
2
: a descent toward an inferior state
a career on the downgrade
downgraded; downgrading; downgrades
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
Ann Rutledge, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The White House has brushed aside the downgrade, describing it as largely symbolic and dismissing both the lagging indicator and the rater.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Lisa Kailai Han,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 23 May 2025
Just last week, Moody’s became the final major credit-rating agency to downgrade U.S. government debt, following similar actions by S&P in 2011 and Fitch in 2023.
—Ben Ritz, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
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Noun
Ratings could stabilize avoiding further credit downgrade risk.
—Ann Rutledge, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The White House has brushed aside the downgrade, describing it as largely symbolic and dismissing both the lagging indicator and the rater.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Verb
Those fears came after Moody’s downgraded the U.S.′ credit rating late last week, citing the growing budget deficit and the cost of funding the existing debt.
—Lisa Kailai Han,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 23 May 2025
Just last week, Moody’s became the final major credit-rating agency to downgrade U.S. government debt, following similar actions by S&P in 2011 and Fitch in 2023.
—Ben Ritz, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
Cite this Entry
“Downgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downgrade. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downgrade
1 of 2 noun
down·grade
-ˌgrād
1
: a downward slope
2
: a lowering toward a worse condition
a neighborhood on the downgrade
downgrade
adverb
downgrade
2 of 2 verb
: to lower in grade, rank, or standing
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