| Bust |
| Lower |
| Break |
| Reduce |
| Relegate |
| Downgrade |
| Drop down |
| Bump down |
| Bring down |
| Lower in rank |
| Break in rank |
| Knock down ___ |
| Lower in grade |
| Reduce in rank. |
| Take down a peg |
| Remove a stripe |
| Reduce in grade |
| Knock down a peg |
| Bust, militarily |
| Kick downstairs? |
| Set back a grade |
| Take down a notch |
| Take stripes away |
| Take stripes from |
| Tear a stripe off |
| Knock down a notch |
| Knock down in rank |
| Take a stripe from |
| Bump down but keep on |
| Bust to private, e.g. |
| Take down a peg or two |
| Remove a stripe, maybe |
| Remove a stripe, perhaps |
| Bump at the office, maybe |
| Take an officer down a peg |
| Punish for insubordination, perhaps |
| Punish for a military rules violation, perhaps |