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
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
Johnson demoted Brewer from board chair following the Pettigrew vote, but Brewer has so far rebuffed the mayor’s attempt to demote him from operating chair, and for now he’s supported by a majority of the board.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Chennai buckled down Kolkata to 36-2 in the power play despite Ajinkya Rahane demoting himself down the order after the skipper struggled to give his team strong starts.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
First she was demoted, then fired.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Johnson demoted Brewer from board chair following the Pettigrew vote, but Brewer has so far rebuffed the mayor’s attempt to demote him from operating chair, and for now he’s supported by a majority of the board.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Chennai buckled down Kolkata to 36-2 in the power play despite Ajinkya Rahane demoting himself down the order after the skipper struggled to give his team strong starts.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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Connecticut’s Climate Progress report, required every three years by the state legislature, shows how Connecticut is continuing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
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Companies are taking steps to reduce their plastic consumption, according to Melissa Bastos, Cotton Incorporated director of corporate strategy and insights.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That lawsuit, along with a countersuit by the PGA Tour, was dismissed a year later.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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There’s too much effort, too much time, and too much sincerity apparent behind this film to dismiss it outright.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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