demote

verb

de·​mote di-ˈmōt 

ˌdē-

demoted; demoting

transitive verb

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

demotion

di-ˈmō-shən 

ˌdē-

noun

Synonyms

• break
• bust
• degrade
• disrate
• downgrade
• reduce

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

The two employment decision makers who denied Ames a promotion and demoted her were not gay. —Michelle Travis, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024

If that occurs, Barnes will replace Adrian Diaz, who, according to the Seattle Times, was demoted in the spring and fired this week by Harrell. —Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024

After firing both head coach and general manager and demoting their offensive coordinator, the Jets’ offseason will again feature more turnover and, hopefully, fewer leaks. —Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 19 Dec. 2024

Campbell was further demoted behind Winters as the No. 3 strongside linebacker. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

de- + -mote (as in promote)

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

demote

verb

de·​mote di-ˈmōt 

ˈdē-

demoted; demoting

: to reduce to a lower grade or rank

demotion

di-ˈmō-shən 

ˈdē-

noun