DEMOTE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does demote mean? 

• DEMOTE (verb)
  The verb DEMOTE has 1 sense:

1. assign to a lower position; reduce in rank

  Familiarity information: DEMOTE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEMOTE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they demote    ... he / she / it demotes   
Past simple: demoted   
Past participle: demoted   
-ing form: demoting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Assign to a lower position; reduce in rank

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

break; bump; demote; kick downstairs; relegate

Context example:

He was broken down to Sergeant

Hypernyms (to "demote" is one way to...):

assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "demote"):

sideline (remove from the center of activity or attention; place into an inferior position)

reduce (bring to humbler or weaker state or condition)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

promote (give a promotion to or assign to a higher position)

Derivation:

demotion (act of lowering in rank or position)