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
Employers cannot lawfully terminate, demote or deny promotion to someone solely due to their age.
—
Jc Serrano, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
This season he will likely be demoted to the practice squad.
—Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2025
Miguel Andujar, who at the time was a struggling hitter, asked for a trade after he was demoted to the minor leagues.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Jc Serrano, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
This season he will likely be demoted to the practice squad.
—Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2025
Miguel Andujar, who at the time was a struggling hitter, asked for a trade after he was demoted to the minor leagues.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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Made with prebiotic oat to soothe irritation and support the skin barrier, the gentle cream also has feverfew extract, which is packed with antioxidants that reduce redness and further calm irritation.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
4 Sep. 2025
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Funding used in high school for more than 29 credit hours will reduce scholarship eligibility after high school by one year, and more than 59 credit hours will reduce eligibility by two years.—
Edward McKinnon,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The actor denied the allegations, and the case was later dismissed, per The Hollywood Reporter.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Those who dismissed intersectionality saw such policies as little more than allowing the disadvantaged to commit crimes without consequences to make up for past inequities, afflicting crime victims from the same disadvantaged communities.—
John Scott Lewinski,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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