as in reducing
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 demoting
Considering this poor return (scoring points was a key target in demoting Doohan for Colapinto), Briatore acknowledged during the Dutch GP weekend that Alpine may have unnecessarily burdened its young Argentine driver.
—
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
Spirit is furloughing 270 pilots and demoting an additional 140.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Yaccarino, a media industry veteran who for years led ad sales at NBCUniversal, departed X after Musk merged the service with his xAI artificial intelligence company, effectively demoting her.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
Spirit is furloughing 270 pilots and demoting an additional 140.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Yaccarino, a media industry veteran who for years led ad sales at NBCUniversal, departed X after Musk merged the service with his xAI artificial intelligence company, effectively demoting her.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoting
Verb
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According to the current lawsuit, Fletcher has not paid his half of the minimum $1,500 per month restitution for the existing settlement, but his ex-wife has paid her portion, reducing the restitution balance to just under $56,000.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Nov. 2025
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These are all part of standard advice for good sleep hygiene, which also includes reducing screen use before bed and creating a regular evening routine, like reading or listening to calming music.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Venezuelans got accustomed to dismissing it all as noise, just a pretext the dictatorship employed to stamp out civil rights.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Despite mounting criticism and public skepticism, Cheney remained a vocal defender of the war, dismissing opposition as politically motivated.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demoting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoting. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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