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
Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 3 June 2025
Johnson’s finance team confirmed the downgrades would add to the city’s cost to borrow, but did not say by how much.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 June 2025
In a report Tuesday, the group of 38 mostly wealthy nations sharply downgraded its 2025 economic growth forecast for America to 1.6% from the 2.2% projected in March and said growth would be even weaker next year.
—Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
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Noun
The fallout from Trump's tariff policy, elevated economic policy uncertainty, a slowdown of net immigration and a smaller federal workforce were cited as reasons for the latest downgrade.
—Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 3 June 2025
Johnson’s finance team confirmed the downgrades would add to the city’s cost to borrow, but did not say by how much.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
Verb
CrowdStrike ’s quarterly report Monday was fine , but multiple analysts downgraded the cybersecurity name after a big run.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 June 2025
In a report Tuesday, the group of 38 mostly wealthy nations sharply downgraded its 2025 economic growth forecast for America to 1.6% from the 2.2% projected in March and said growth would be even weaker next year.
—Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 3 June 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 10 Jun. 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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