as in reduced
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 demoted
Gingles had been nearly demoted at his job, the co-worker said, due to taking too much time off because of his pending divorce.
—
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Bovino was demoted last month, two days after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Jan 24.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
The club is also high on Bird, who made a poor first impression and was demoted to Triple-A after being acquired from and overworked by the Rockies last summer.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
The pilot was demoted to street patrol after the dispute.
—Peter D'abrosca , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
McCarthy is coming off a down season marred by an early-season slump that caused him to get demoted to Triple-A.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Hunter Renfroe was designated for assignment, and MJ Melendez was demoted to the minors.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
Military patrol stayed on the Olympic roster in 1928 and 1936, but was demoted to a demonstration sport in 1948 and fell off after that.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
Last week, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was relieved of his command and effectively demoted.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Bovino was demoted last month, two days after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Jan 24.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
The club is also high on Bird, who made a poor first impression and was demoted to Triple-A after being acquired from and overworked by the Rockies last summer.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
The pilot was demoted to street patrol after the dispute.
—Peter D'abrosca , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
McCarthy is coming off a down season marred by an early-season slump that caused him to get demoted to Triple-A.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Hunter Renfroe was designated for assignment, and MJ Melendez was demoted to the minors.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
Military patrol stayed on the Olympic roster in 1928 and 1936, but was demoted to a demonstration sport in 1948 and fell off after that.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
Last week, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was relieved of his command and effectively demoted.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoted
Verb
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As Russia reduced flows, prices spiked, pushing up energy bills and helping fuel a cost of living crisis.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Ultimately, the report states, about 1% of the district’s more than 83,000 employees are likely to lose a job or have their pay reduced.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The additional charges were dismissed.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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Obama dismissed those rumors, joking that if aliens existed and were being concealed, even the president was not in on it.—
Adisa Hargett-Robinson,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Last week’s Stick to Football episode, recorded shortly after his successor, Thomas Frank, was sacked by Spurs, was the fastest in its history to reach one million views.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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In recent weeks, Baker McKenzie, a white-shoe law firm, axed 700 employees, Salesforce sacked hundreds of workers, and the auditing firm KPMG negotiated lower fees with its own auditor.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoted. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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