demoted; demoting
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
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
This year, a former Caltrans executive said she was demoted after raising concerns about a repaving project that surreptitiously widened 3½ miles of the freeway where the toll lanes were being proposed.
—
Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
And with Ahmed coming back into the fold in the not-so-distant future and Brett Wisely playing far too well to demote, the Giants appear to be on the precipice of sending Luciano — a player with an OPS over 1.000 — back to Sacramento.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 May 2024
Detmers, a former first-round pick of the Angels, was demoted on June 1 after his record fell to 3-6 and his ERA ballooned to 6.14 through 12 starts.
—Dan Arritt, Orange County Register, 8 June 2024
Smith said he was transferred and demoted instead of having his warnings heeded.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for demote 
Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
And with Ahmed coming back into the fold in the not-so-distant future and Brett Wisely playing far too well to demote, the Giants appear to be on the precipice of sending Luciano — a player with an OPS over 1.000 — back to Sacramento.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 May 2024
Detmers, a former first-round pick of the Angels, was demoted on June 1 after his record fell to 3-6 and his ERA ballooned to 6.14 through 12 starts.
—Dan Arritt, Orange County Register, 8 June 2024
Smith said he was transferred and demoted instead of having his warnings heeded.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for demote
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demote.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near demote
Cite this Entry
“Demote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demote. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share