✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

grader

noun

grad·​er ˈgrā-dər How to pronounce grader (audio)
1
: one that grades
2
: a machine for leveling earth
3
: a pupil in a school grade
a fifth grader

Examples of grader in a Sentence

Her students say that she's a tough grader.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Though whooping cough vaccinations are required for Kentucky schools, only 86% of kindergartners and 85% of seventh graders are up to date with their immunization, data from the 2024-25 school immunization survey indicate. Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Nov. 2025 As the next generation of leaders begins charting their political paths, one Atlanta fourth grader is already making waves in the classroom — and online. Monique John, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2025 The Livvy photos look more like a Real Housewife than a ninth-grader. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2025 Anderson praised his seniors, who were eighth-graders when he was hired. Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grader

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grader was in 1832

Cite this Entry

“Grader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grader. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

grader

noun
grad·​er ˈgrād-ər How to pronounce grader (audio)
1
: one that grades
2
: a machine for leveling earth
3
: a pupil in a school grade
a group of sixth graders

More from Merriam-Webster on grader

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!