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
In late January, the president put border czar Tom Homan in charge of the crackdown, effectively demoting the Border Patrol’s Greg Bovino.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Tampa Bay gave up on Bradley at age 24, demoting him to the minors in his third MLB season and trading him to the Twins at last year’s deadline.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Once Watson and Gordon are both back, Watson will probably be coming off the bench for the first time since mid-November, unless Adelman wants to make a more dramatic change by demoting someone from his starting lineup.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2026
The former mayor replaced Donlon with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch two months into the job, demoting him to an assistant deputy mayor at City Hall.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
The Times is considering demoting the SilverZone to the BronzeZone.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Shortly after the 2024 layoffs, UT made major changes to its marketing and communications department, laying off 20 staff members and demoting its leader.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Biden opted to make South Carolina the Democrats’ first-in-the-nation primary state, advancing Nevada and Michigan in the schedule while dropping Iowa and demoting New Hampshire.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump’s efforts to reset the narrative include demoting Gregory Bovino from the Border Patrol’s commander of at-large operations overseeing ICE embeds.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Tampa Bay gave up on Bradley at age 24, demoting him to the minors in his third MLB season and trading him to the Twins at last year’s deadline.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Once Watson and Gordon are both back, Watson will probably be coming off the bench for the first time since mid-November, unless Adelman wants to make a more dramatic change by demoting someone from his starting lineup.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2026
The former mayor replaced Donlon with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch two months into the job, demoting him to an assistant deputy mayor at City Hall.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
The Times is considering demoting the SilverZone to the BronzeZone.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Shortly after the 2024 layoffs, UT made major changes to its marketing and communications department, laying off 20 staff members and demoting its leader.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Biden opted to make South Carolina the Democrats’ first-in-the-nation primary state, advancing Nevada and Michigan in the schedule while dropping Iowa and demoting New Hampshire.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump’s efforts to reset the narrative include demoting Gregory Bovino from the Border Patrol’s commander of at-large operations overseeing ICE embeds.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoting
Verb
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The departments of Commerce, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, along with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, are instructed to eliminate regulations and update programs that are reducing residential development.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
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But the practical effect also meant that the entire second floor of the hotel was turned over to the pope, reducing its capacity for paying guests.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Haitian law also forbids dismissing workers for union activities.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Mar. 2026
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Ferguson took 3-16, dismissing Linde to end the innings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoting. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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