demoted; demoting
1
: to reduce to a lower grade or rank
demote a student
was demoted from major to captain
2
: to relegate to a less important position
a pitcher demoted to the bullpen
Examples of demote in a Sentence
Teachers can choose to demote a student to a lower grade.
The army major was demoted to captain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverse actions can range from firing, demoting or disciplining someone to excluding them from meetings, events or opportunities they would otherwise have been invited to participate in.
—
Karla Miller, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
But not long afterward, Mr. Xu was demoted and his pay was cut, apparently because of poor performance.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The case leaves Cassie in shambles, and she’s demoted back to the domestic-violence unit.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
At West Branch, First Lt. Jeff Short, who was the post commander, has been demoted to trooper and assigned to the Houghton Lake post, Banner said.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 12 Feb. 2024
And when things started going poorly in December, Sirianni demoted Desai and put Patricia in charge.
—John Romano, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Allie’s meddling, disapproving parents are demoted to mere nasties, their motivations discarded with their back story.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Two high-ranking members of the department have already been demoted over their roles in the matter, according to Finner.
—USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024
Jackson, who retired in 2019 as a one-star rear admiral, was demoted to the rank of captain, according to two US officials.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024
Karla Miller, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
But not long afterward, Mr. Xu was demoted and his pay was cut, apparently because of poor performance.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The case leaves Cassie in shambles, and she’s demoted back to the domestic-violence unit.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
At West Branch, First Lt. Jeff Short, who was the post commander, has been demoted to trooper and assigned to the Houghton Lake post, Banner said.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 12 Feb. 2024
And when things started going poorly in December, Sirianni demoted Desai and put Patricia in charge.
—John Romano, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Allie’s meddling, disapproving parents are demoted to mere nasties, their motivations discarded with their back story.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Two high-ranking members of the department have already been demoted over their roles in the matter, according to Finner.
—USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024
Jackson, who retired in 2019 as a one-star rear admiral, was demoted to the rank of captain, according to two US officials.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demote.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
de- + -mote (as in promote)
First Known Use
circa 1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near demote
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demote. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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