Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A downward sloping portion of a road or railway; hence, figuratively, a downward moral course.
  • Sloping downward; hence, relating to a downward moral course.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Someone dials 999 to report a burglary in progress and the call receivers down-grade the priority of the call, after all none of the magic words are contained in the log (domestic or hate crime) which would make the screen light up and flash.

    Police Complaints – The Shocking Truth! « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2010

  • You are swinging round a sharp, down-grade, mountain curve, at a fast trot.

    FOUR HORSES AND A SAILOR 2010

  • Poor's single notch down-grade of Ireland's credit rating.

    A Crusade to Protect the Baguette? 2010

  • I was asked to help review the data that led to this down-grade in designation for these docs.

    Garbage In, Garbage Out aka TBTAM 2007

  • Unless radical surprises occur in the world, it is difficult to see how the momentum of this down-grade movement can be averted, or how far it will go.

    The Prize Daniel Yergin 2008

  • Unless radical surprises occur in the world, it is difficult to see how the momentum of this down-grade movement can be averted, or how far it will go.

    The Prize Daniel Yergin 2008

  • If protease inhibitors have made gay men psychologically down-grade the risk of contracting HIV, then the gay community is snatching defeat from the bubble-butt of victory.

    Johann Hari: The Biggest Threat to the Gay Community -- and No, It's Not Proposition 8 2008

  • Briefly my usual insecurities stepped in and made me wonder who it was so that I could mentally down-grade their professional judgement, but then the new me—Dr StyleyGeek, I presume—gave those insecurities a good telling off.

    It's beginning to feel a lot like graduation StyleyGeek 2008

  • Briefly my usual insecurities stepped in and made me wonder who it was so that I could mentally down-grade their professional judgement, but then the new me—Dr StyleyGeek, I presume—gave those insecurities a good telling off.

    Archive 2008-01-01 StyleyGeek 2008

  • And -- considering the Bush bureaucracy's fabulous capability to hide, steal and down-grade American dollars -- sooner than we want to think about they are going to be worthless to us completely.

    American Inventor: I've invented yet another way to save our country from GWB 2006

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