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
The Pentagon followed up by opening an investigation into Kelly, with Hegseth threatening to demote the Arizona Democrat and reduce his retirement pay.
—
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2026
Hegseth is attempting to retroactively demote Kelly from his retired rank of captain.
—Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Ike Howard came over from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade, started the season in Edmonton and was then demoted to the AHL.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Hegseth this week backed off that losing proposition and instead issued a censure for Kelly and started a process to demote him in retirement, which would reduce his pension.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2026
Hegseth is attempting to retroactively demote Kelly from his retired rank of captain.
—Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Ike Howard came over from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade, started the season in Edmonton and was then demoted to the AHL.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Hegseth this week backed off that losing proposition and instead issued a censure for Kelly and started a process to demote him in retirement, which would reduce his pension.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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This comes at a time when there has been talk of reducing the number of PGA tournaments on the calendar.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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The cross-border clearing platform could streamline operations, reducing risks in OTC trades that dominate the market.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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However, a White House official dismissed speculation.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Continue reading … LEGAL LOOPHOLE – Luigi Mangione returns to court as judge weighs defense motion to dismiss death penalty charge.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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