Synonyms of demote

demote

verb

di-ˈmōt 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduce
• dismiss
• degrade
• sack
• downgrade
• fire
• can
• bust
• humiliate
• demean
• downsize
• break
• disrate
• debase
• lay off
• abase
• lower
• humble
• cashier

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• promote
• raise
• advance
• elevate
• hire

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of demote

Call up Spencer Jones, demote Jasson Domínguez Jasson Domínguez hasn’t exactly locked down his spot on the roster since getting called back up. — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Scheublin wasn’t demoted to a borough command post until January 2026, having at that point been the subject of a criminal investigation for a year. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026

The four-year veteran was also demoted to Sacramento in May before being called back up in June. — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

The station demoted one anchor and began discouraging its reporters from pursuing political stories that could draw attention to the station in favor of human interest stories, The Associated Press reported at the time. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 6 July 2026