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
Brigid got demoted by the Pope back in 1969, because there was not sufficient proof of her existence.
—
Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Trump's speech Friday comes as his administration has spent the last several weeks trying to reconfigure the Justice Department, including demoting attorneys who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and firing officials who investigated the president himself.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
Paul is not the first government official to be demoted after voicing concern about access to sensitive systems and taxpayer data.
—CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025
Tony has since begun an internal investigation of eight deputies and demoted the district’s captain.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Trump's speech Friday comes as his administration has spent the last several weeks trying to reconfigure the Justice Department, including demoting attorneys who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and firing officials who investigated the president himself.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
Paul is not the first government official to be demoted after voicing concern about access to sensitive systems and taxpayer data.
—CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025
Tony has since begun an internal investigation of eight deputies and demoted the district’s captain.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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