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 decision makers who denied Ames a promotion and demoted her were not gay.
—
Michelle Travis, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
In the work of Jewish artists such as Woody Allen and Philip Roth, she was reduced to a punch line—and, worse, demoted to a walk-on.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Pluralism and racial justice have been demoted in the zeitgeist, as Trump has returned to office on a mission to purge the government, and much of society, of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 8 June 2025
With the Mets tentatively planning to activate Vientos on Monday, Mauricio is the likely candidate to demote.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Michelle Travis, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
In the work of Jewish artists such as Woody Allen and Philip Roth, she was reduced to a punch line—and, worse, demoted to a walk-on.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Pluralism and racial justice have been demoted in the zeitgeist, as Trump has returned to office on a mission to purge the government, and much of society, of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 8 June 2025
With the Mets tentatively planning to activate Vientos on Monday, Mauricio is the likely candidate to demote.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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To reduce background noise when making phone calls or joining in with a video meeting, Headphone (1) has a 4-microphone ENC system that’s backed up by AI.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Using the current policy baseline, the CBO found that the legislation would reduce the deficit by $508 billion.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
1 July 2025
Verb
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So far, nearly 60,000 federal employees have been dismissed, with the State Department layoffs marking the latest round of cuts.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
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With the reciprocal tariffs, Trump is dismissing the rules governing world trade.—
Aamer Madhani,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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