down·grade
ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād 
1
: a downward grade (as of a road)
2
: a descent toward an inferior state
a career on the downgrade
downgraded; downgrading; downgrades
Examples of downgrade in a Sentence
Noun
a downgrade in the company's stock prices
a singing career on the downgrade
Verb
The restaurant was downgraded from three to two stars.
She didn't intend to downgrade the importance of her colleague's work.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025
The downgrade to a notch above junk was based on loans extended to countries that have defaulted on their obligations.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
To accommodate the change, the 250 event in Birmingham was moved and downgraded to a 125 event, below the main WTA Tour.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
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Noun
Consumer spending also slowed sharply, expanding just 0.5%, down from a robust 4% in fourth-quarter 2024 and a sharp downgrade from the Commerce Department’s previous estimate.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025
The downgrade to a notch above junk was based on loans extended to countries that have defaulted on their obligations.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
Verb
The new dates include 13 new shows, including stops in New York, Arkansas, California, and Texas, and come just days after the band downgraded several shows from stadiums to arenas and amphitheatres in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
To accommodate the change, the 250 event in Birmingham was moved and downgraded to a 125 event, below the main WTA Tour.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
Cite this Entry
“Downgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downgrade. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downgrade
1 of 2 noun
down·grade
-ˌgrād
1
: a downward slope
2
: a lowering toward a worse condition
a neighborhood on the downgrade
downgrade
adverb
downgrade
2 of 2 verb
: to lower in grade, rank, or standing
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