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
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2025
Also, the badge on this one is a comically generic downgrade from the club’s usual one.
—Brooks Peck, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
This comes as Fitch Ratings on Wednesday downgraded the Japanese automaker’s credit rating to BBB- from BB+, which also means junk status.
—Lee Ying Shan
23 Hours Ago
S&P 500 closes slightly above the flatline
The S&P 500 closed Wednesday’s trading session barely in the green.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
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Noun
Fresh indicators showed that consumers spent less than expected during the inclement January weather and exports were weak, which led to the downgrade.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2025
Also, the badge on this one is a comically generic downgrade from the club’s usual one.
—Brooks Peck, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
The Celtics initially removed him from their injury report Thursday before downgrading him on Friday.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
This comes as Fitch Ratings on Wednesday downgraded the Japanese automaker’s credit rating to BBB- from BB+, which also means junk status.
—Lee Ying Shan
23 Hours Ago
S&P 500 closes slightly above the flatline
The S&P 500 closed Wednesday’s trading session barely in the green.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 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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