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
Scott was initially demoted to the Traffic Division amid an unspecified criminal investigation and was later told he was being fired, according to court records.
—
Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
The New York Yankees recently made the decision to demote Devin Williams out of the closer role, presumably elevating breakout star Luke Weaver in his place.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Members of Congress tried a couple of times to demote Columbus by changing the holiday’s name, but those efforts fell short.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
Last month, Dhillon demoted senior attorneys who handled police abuse investigations to other low-level assignments, such as handling public records requests or adjudicating internal discrimination complaints.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
The New York Yankees recently made the decision to demote Devin Williams out of the closer role, presumably elevating breakout star Luke Weaver in his place.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Members of Congress tried a couple of times to demote Columbus by changing the holiday’s name, but those efforts fell short.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
Last month, Dhillon demoted senior attorneys who handled police abuse investigations to other low-level assignments, such as handling public records requests or adjudicating internal discrimination complaints.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demote
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demote
Verb
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The charges were dismissed because West’s cause of death was not determined, and some evidence had been illegally obtained. (Netflix) Lewis was convicted of six counts of mail fraud in a 1981 credit card scheme in Kansas City.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2025
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Baldwin — who denied pulling the trigger — was also put on trial for involuntary manslaughter last July, but the case was dismissed after the judge learned that prosecutors had withheld evidence from the defense.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demote. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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