downgrade
verb [ T ]
uk/ˌdaʊnˈɡreɪd/ us/ˈdaʊnɡreɪd/ FINANCE
to state that something such as a company is likely to produce less profit or growth, to be less able to pay back debt, etc. than was previously thought:
downgrade stocks/shares
downgrade sth's rating/status Investment bank Merrill Lynch downgraded the company's status from 'buy' to 'neutral'.
The Chancellor blamed higher oil prices for the downgraded growth forecast.
HR
to make a job less senior, skilled, or important than before, or to put someone into a less senior or important job:
The new contracts effectively downgraded their jobs to match their colleagues' lower pay.
The agreement may lead to one in six staff being downgraded.
downgrade
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈdaʊnɡreɪd/ us FINANCE
a statement that something such as a company's profit, ability to pay back debt, etc. will be less than was expected:
A credit rating downgrade would raise their cost of borrowing.