demotion

American  

[dih-moh-shuhn] / dɪˈmoʊ ʃən /

noun

• demotions
  plural

1. the act or process of reducing to a lower grade, rank, class, or position, or the result of such a reduction.

   The committee is charged with hearing employee appeals and addressing complaints regarding suspension, demotion, layoff, or termination of employment.

   The company’s bad quarter resulted in a further demotion of their overall rating from C+ to C.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• demotions
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of demotion

de- + (pro)motion

---

Explanation

A demotion is when your rank or position is lowered by a superior. In the military, disobeying orders could result in a demotion. In the military — as well as other careers — people usually move up the ladder with time, rising through the ranks. When your superiors bring you up to a higher level, that's called a promotion, like an assistant manager becoming a manager. However, if you're a manager and you get bumped back to assistant manager, that's a demotion. Demotions occur when someone has broken the rules or has done a poor job. Demotions usually come with a reduction in pay too.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

demotion demotions

However, all three will be aware that in both of the past two seasons a team relegated from the top tier has suffered a second successive demotion to League One.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

After elevating custom couture to an art form, just the word “content” sounds like a demotion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

It was clear to Abby this was a demotion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

It added sites which were penalised but then fixed the issue could submit a request to Google to have the demotion reconsidered.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

But given their championship, they recognized what seemed an unwarranted demotion and felt more than a little intimidated by their new coach’s bearing.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

This action follows a series of high-profile staffing changes in the Justice Department, including demotions in February by interim U.S.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2025

The punishments included everything from terminations to demotions to suspensions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024

After a post has been flagged by one of the independent fact-checkers, users will be able to lower or maintain the level of demotions on a post.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2023

Over the course of the two demotions, her salary dipped from $92,000 to roughly $61,200.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 13, 2023

The Navy was unable to provide the reasons for Mr. Peña’s demotions.

From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2023

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---