He is seeking redress for what he alleges was an unfair demotion.
2. verb [usually passive]
If a team in a sports league is demoted, that team has to compete in the next competition in a lower division, because it was one of the least successful teams in the higher division.
[British]
The club was demoted at the end of last season. [beVERB-ed]
demotionvariable noun
The team now almost certainly faces demotion.
demote in British English
(dɪˈməʊt)
verb
(transitive)
to lower in rank or position; relegate
Derived forms
demotion (deˈmotion)
noun
Word origin
C19: from de- + (pro)mote
demote in American English
(diˈmoʊt; dɪˈmoʊt)
US
verb transitiveWord forms: deˈmoted or deˈmoting
to reduce to a lower grade; lower in rank
see also promote
Derived forms
demotion (deˈmotion)
noun
Word origin
de- + promote
Examples of 'demote' in a sentence
demote
She was demoted and given a warning.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
How will that demoted club feel?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is only the third time in English football history that a League club have been demoted.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
These are the sights that haunt a team demoted to the Championship from the world's richest league.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
demote
British English: demote VERB
If someone demotes you, they give you a less important position than you already have, often as a punishment.
It's very difficult to demote somebody who has been standing in during maternity leave.
American English: demote
Brazilian Portuguese: rebaixar de posto
Chinese: 使降级
European Spanish: degradar
French: rétrograder
German: zurückstufen
Italian: retrocedere
Japanese: 降格する
Korean: 강등시키다
European Portuguese: despromover
Latin American Spanish: degradar
Chinese translation of 'demote'
demote
(dɪˈməut)
vt
[employee]使降级(級) (shǐ jiàngjí)
(Brit, = relegate)[team]使降级(級) (shǐ jiàngjí)
(verb)
Definition
to lower in rank or position
If managers prove inefficient they should be demoted.
Synonyms
downgrade
His superiors downgraded him.
relegate
Other newspapers relegated the item to the middle pages.
degrade
He was degraded to a lower rank.
kick downstairs (slang)
declass
disrate (navy)
lower in rank
Opposites
raise
,
advance
,
promote
, upgrade,
prefer
,
elevate
,
kick upstairs (informal)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of degrade
Definition
to reduce in status or quality
He was degraded to a lower rank.
Synonyms
demote,
reduce,
lower,
downgrade,
depose,
cashier,
unseat
in the sense of relegate
Definition
to demote (a sports team) to a lower division
Other newspapers relegated the item to the middle pages.