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 a 24-21 loss at Air Force, Cowboys coach Jay Sawvel demoted Jay Johnson from offensive coordinator to analyst.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Merrill was then demoted from co-anchor of the Weekday Morning Show to working weekend nights.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Now the show has demoted her to a B- or C-plot sitcom character, lacking in sharpness and a consistent point of view.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
Also, two sergeants and a trooper were fired, demoted or resigned.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Merrill was then demoted from co-anchor of the Weekday Morning Show to working weekend nights.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Now the show has demoted her to a B- or C-plot sitcom character, lacking in sharpness and a consistent point of view.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
Also, two sergeants and a trooper were fired, demoted or resigned.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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Tax rises would likely act as another damper on inflation by reducing consumer demand.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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Researchers also stressed that the synergistic effect of K+ and C3N4 co-intercalation lowers the energy barrier, reduces the electrostatic interaction, and enhances the kinetics and structural stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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On Wednesday, in documents obtained by Rolling Stone, a California superior court judge overseeing the lawsuit ruled in favor of Kardashian and the anti-SLAPP motion, effectively dismissing the other Cantu’s lawsuit, though the judge left open the possibility of an appeal.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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This company’s approach to pest control begins with a philosophy that dismisses the business-as-usual assumptions.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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