as in to reduce
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 demote
If one path feels like a slog, give yourself permission to demote it to a side interest.
—
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
While the case garnered global acclaim, Captain Terauchi was demoted to a desk job for ’embarrassing’ the airline, only to be reinstated later.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
The Royals will need to decide which player will be demoted to make room.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 1 Sep. 2025
Gomber is no longer with the team, Feltner hasn’t pitched since late April, Senzatela was demoted to the bullpen this week, and Black was fired on May 11 after the Rockies opened the season 7-33.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
While the case garnered global acclaim, Captain Terauchi was demoted to a desk job for ’embarrassing’ the airline, only to be reinstated later.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
The Royals will need to decide which player will be demoted to make room.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 1 Sep. 2025
Gomber is no longer with the team, Feltner hasn’t pitched since late April, Senzatela was demoted to the bullpen this week, and Black was fired on May 11 after the Rockies opened the season 7-33.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Valentino has been streamlining its wholesale channel, reduced by about 20 percent in 2024, a strategy that continued in 2025 and that is expected to impact its year-end performance.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite lacking any legal education or experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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When retail loses money, it’s often dismissed as inexperience.—
Anmol Verma,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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