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
But demoting Kelly requires an administrative process known as officer grade determination, which by law makes its decisions based on an officer's conduct while on active duty.
—
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Highways, viaducts, giant interchanges, and a major Metro junction viciously mutilated São Paulo’s downtown in the 1960s and ’70s, demoting it from a popular residential area to a commercial transfer hub, overcrowded and polluted by day but forlorn by night.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
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
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Highways, viaducts, giant interchanges, and a major Metro junction viciously mutilated São Paulo’s downtown in the 1960s and ’70s, demoting it from a popular residential area to a commercial transfer hub, overcrowded and polluted by day but forlorn by night.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoting
Verb
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The plant will focus on advanced packaging, which involves combining multiple memory chips into a single, high-density unit to improve performance and energy efficiency while reducing overall size.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2026
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The team achieved a 20 percent reduction in turbine weight per megawatt compared to the industry average, assisting with installation while also reducing costs.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Confidence can tip into defensiveness, so your challenge has a lot to do with asserting boundaries without emotional withdrawal and honoring your needs without dismissing others.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
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The president spoke little about democracy in Venezuela, dismissing a potential role for its longstanding democratic opposition in running the country in the immediate aftermath of the operation.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demoting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoting. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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