as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the court-martial's decision was to demote the officer responsible for the failed mission
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Recent Examples of demote
Soon after, leadership demoted Moers from his director position.
—
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
As far as Williams, the Mets aren’t considering demoting him.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
After an investigation, the lawsuit says Mavromatis was demoted to social media manager of merchandise.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
First she was demoted, then fired.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
As far as Williams, the Mets aren’t considering demoting him.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
After an investigation, the lawsuit says Mavromatis was demoted to social media manager of merchandise.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
First she was demoted, then fired.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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In 1994, American teenager Michael Fay was caned at a Singaporean prison for vandalism, a day after his sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response to an appeal by President Bill Clinton.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
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In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has—unfairly—been reduced to an excuse to drink tequila and eat guac.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Then in September, Newsom's Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp sent an email to JUSD administrators on what appeared to include a copy of the state's motion to dismiss that lawsuit, as seen in public records obtained by Fox News Digital.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
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Curiel also declined to dismiss causes of action against three of the deputy’s supervisors, who are accused of knowing the female deputy failed to return to the scene and had dissuaded Quinones from providing assistance.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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