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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Moody’s cited growing fiscal deficits and rising interest costs as reasons for the downgrade, a situation the agency did not expect to resolve quickly.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 3 May 2026
Michael Bloom, CNBC, 15 May 2026
One of the nation’s three major credit rating agencies has downgraded Sacramento City Unified School District’s bond rating, citing the district’s poor budget management and uncertainty over its plans to rebuild reserves.
—Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
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Noun
Lots of downgrades and price target cuts on Trade Desk.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Moody’s cited growing fiscal deficits and rising interest costs as reasons for the downgrade, a situation the agency did not expect to resolve quickly.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 3 May 2026
Verb
Morgan Stanley downgrades Viking Holdings to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock following earnings.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 15 May 2026
One of the nation’s three major credit rating agencies has downgraded Sacramento City Unified School District’s bond rating, citing the district’s poor budget management and uncertainty over its plans to rebuild reserves.
—Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
Cite this Entry
“Downgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downgrade. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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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