demote
Americanverb (used with object)
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demotes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
demoted,
past participle, past
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demoting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demotesimple
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demotessimple
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have demotedperfect
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has demotedperfect
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am demotingprogressive
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are demotingprogressive
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is demotingprogressive
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have been demotingperfect progressive
-
has been demotingperfect progressive
Past
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demotedsimple
-
had demotedperfect
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was demotingprogressive
-
were demotingprogressive
-
had been demotingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demote
Explanation
To demote someone is to move them into a less important job. Your coffee shop boss might demote you to wiping tables if your attempts to froth milk and pull espresso shots continuously fail. When your employer demotes you, she assigns you an easier task or even an entirely new, lower-ranked position. You may even earn less money. In the military, to demote is to move a soldier down in rank, usually as a punishment. The opposite of demote is promote, which came first. The prefix de- gives the word a sense of "down" or "down from."
Vocabulary lists containing demote
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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They Both Die at the End
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Vocabulary from the Twelfth Republican Debate, March 10, 2016
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Kelly filed a lawsuit in January that accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of violating his First Amendment rights by moving to formally censure him and demote him over the video.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
According to Fidell, the secretary of defense has the authority to demote only flag officers—that is, generals and admirals.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
Hegseth issued a letter of censure against the retired Navy veteran and announced the Department of Defense would decide whether to demote Kelly and reduce his pension in the coming weeks.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
To demote him back to second team Racing Bulls after just two races in a swap with Tsunoda - who was passed over only three months ago - is, quite simply, extraordinary.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025
“Kevin, I think we’d better demote me. In this time...”
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
The Company rakes her over the coals, demotes her, and doesn’t believe her report about an alien creature that has a razor-sharp tail, knife-like teeth and highly caustic acid for blood.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
The chart formula automatically demotes songs that have had three consecutive weeks of declining streaming figures, when compared with the rest of the market.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
She — bold but perpetually insecure — becomes attracted to Sam, and the dynamics shift further as Sam regains control of his bar and demotes her to barmaid.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2022
Only Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the Exchequer, might be tempted to quit if Mr. Johnson demotes him in a reshuffle.
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2022
Facebook said it also demotes content from news publishers that users rate as untrusted in surveys and content posted by pages or accounts that repeatedly violate its rules.
From Reuters ● Sep. 23, 2021
Parachute money could ease those concerns, although there are no guarantees that the club would be entitled to those payments if they are demoted.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Two veteran FBI counterterrorism officials were demoted after investigators determined allegedly harassing calls to a top White House aide’s wife did not warrant further investigation, according to multiple reports.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The senior pilot assigned the Sunday shift was demoted days earlier to patrol duty, following a workplace complaint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Antonelli crossed the line ninth but was demoted to 16th by a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits - incurred while he was battling with the problems with his car.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“You can ditch us. Cal’s getting demoted back to stage manager.”
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Achilles tears are known throughout the NBA as injuries that turn players into shadows of their former selves, demoting an All-Star into a role player and a role player into a retiree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
The European Commission said Google is demoting media publishers' websites and content in search results when they include content from commercial partners, such as sponsored editorial pieces.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
The mayor said she was demoting Crowley for failing to inform her about the dangerous conditions or to activate hundreds of firefighters ahead of the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Arquette, who won an Oscar for Richard Linklater's 2014 film Boyhood, says her character is "furious" that the corporation, in demoting her, has failed to recognise her loyalty.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
Royal Brougham fired the first and potentially most lethal: Had he made a critical mistake by demoting his sophomores?
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
