grad·u·ate
ˈgra-jə-ˌwāt 
graduated; graduating
1
: to receive an academic degree or diploma
graduated with honors
2
: to pass from one stage of experience, proficiency, or prestige to a usually higher one
graduated to team leader
3
: to change gradually
1
a
: to grant an academic degree or diploma to
b
: to be graduated from
joined the navy after graduating high school
2
a
: to mark with degrees of measurement
b
: to divide into grades or intervals
3
: to admit to a particular standing or grade
Usage of Graduate
In the 19th century the transitive sense (1a) was prescribed; the intransitive
I graduated from college
was condemned. The intransitive prevailed nonetheless, and today it is the sense likely to be prescribed and the newer transitive sense (1b)
she graduated high school
the one condemned. All three are standard. The intransitive is currently the most common, the new transitive the least common.
grad·u·ate
ˈgra-jə-wət
-ˌwāt
-ˌwāt
ˈgraj-wət
1
: a holder of an academic degree or diploma
a college graduate
2
: a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask
grad·u·ate
ˈgra-jə-wət
1
: of, relating to, or engaged in studies beyond the first or bachelor's degree
graduate school
a graduate student
2
: holding an academic degree or diploma
Examples of graduate in a Sentence
Verb
He graduated from the university last June.
They both graduated with honors.
She graduated with a degree in history.
He joined the navy after graduating from high school.
a graduating class of 300 students
He joined the navy after graduating high school.
The word has graduated from slang to accepted use.
My nephew has graduated from baby food to solid food.
Adjective
He is taking graduate classes at the university.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Cooban, CNN, 23 Sep. 2023
One of the youngest to graduate Harvard and now our cover STAR!!
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Despite already being an international superstar, Megan Thee Stallion has always celebrated the value of a college education and even graduated with her degree from Texas Southern University in 2021.
—Essence, 21 Sep. 2023
Maggie, who graduated with a masters degree from Stanford in 2021, currently lives in Tennessee.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2023
After graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in English, Mr. Klane returned to New York and found work in advertising.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Young Jim Hopper’s (Lloyd) car won’t start, Bob Newby’s (Buckley) sister (Williams) won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado (Pappas) just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2023
His assessment raised troubling questions for high school students, who must pass the MCAS in order to graduate.
—Mandy McLaren, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
For Ethan Ambrose, that meant pursuing his screenwriting dream right after graduating from Harvard with a B.S. in neuroscience.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
Anna Cooban, CNN, 23 Sep. 2023
The fresh law graduate is among a handful of legal or antitrust geeks trying to attend most, if not all, of the public portions of the trial, fearing a historic moment of tech giant accountability will escape public notice.
—WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
Other graduates went on to careers at 1789, the Willard Hotel and Kinkead’s brasserie.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
Brown previously told The Dallas Morning News that her department is looking to attract more high school graduates for jobs.
—Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023
Recent American college graduates are teaching in Iraq.
—Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023
Romney, a Brigham Young University graduate and one of the faith’s most visible members after his 2012 presidential campaign, had been a popular figure in the state for two decades.
—Michelle L. Price, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2023
As a graduate student, Guillory’s annual tuition is set to increase by $432 to $7,608 in the 2024-25 school year.
—Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
And with Boston’s large student population, there are opportunities for the industry to create jobs for students and graduates who are interested in agriculture, technology, and sustainability, the report said.
—Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023
Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2023
The most successful union efforts this year, including at the UAW, are taking place in higher education, where thousands of graduate students have organized after being barred from doing so under the Trump administration.
—Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
For graduate students, by 2028-29 tuition would jump to $9,612, according to the system.
—Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Also, those borrowers who have undergraduate and graduate loans in the mix will pay a weighted average of between 5% and 10% of their discretionary income based on the original principal balances of their loans.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
Geneva College is a private, four-year Christian college with an enrollment of 1,315 students, including 135 graduate students.
—Zach Mentz, cleveland, 7 Sep. 2023
As with other learning setbacks, math issues are most pronounced among Black, Latino, low-income and other vulnerable students, says Katharine Strunk, who led a study on learning delays in Michigan and is now dean of the graduate school of education at the University of Pennsylvania.
—Collin Binkley, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2023
Other departments represented included medical fields of study, computer science and engineering, largely from graduate programs.
—Katherine Oung, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Aug. 2023
Black people made up about 9.5 percent of graduate students and only 6 percent of doctoral students.
—Todd Richmond, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2023
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Verb
The public relations executive moved to London in March after graduating last year and now pays £975 ($1,195) a month to rent a room, which gobbles up more than half of his monthly paycheck.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 23 Sep. 2023
One of the youngest to graduate Harvard and now our cover STAR!!
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Despite already being an international superstar, Megan Thee Stallion has always celebrated the value of a college education and even graduated with her degree from Texas Southern University in 2021.
—Essence, 21 Sep. 2023
Maggie, who graduated with a masters degree from Stanford in 2021, currently lives in Tennessee.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2023
After graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in English, Mr. Klane returned to New York and found work in advertising.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Young Jim Hopper’s (Lloyd) car won’t start, Bob Newby’s (Buckley) sister (Williams) won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado (Pappas) just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2023
His assessment raised troubling questions for high school students, who must pass the MCAS in order to graduate.
—Mandy McLaren, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
For Ethan Ambrose, that meant pursuing his screenwriting dream right after graduating from Harvard with a B.S. in neuroscience.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
The platform used the ONS’s measure of affordability in its study and the average graduate starting salary of £29,000 ($36,000) a year.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 23 Sep. 2023
The fresh law graduate is among a handful of legal or antitrust geeks trying to attend most, if not all, of the public portions of the trial, fearing a historic moment of tech giant accountability will escape public notice.
—WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
Other graduates went on to careers at 1789, the Willard Hotel and Kinkead’s brasserie.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
Brown previously told The Dallas Morning News that her department is looking to attract more high school graduates for jobs.
—Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023
Recent American college graduates are teaching in Iraq.
—Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023
Romney, a Brigham Young University graduate and one of the faith’s most visible members after his 2012 presidential campaign, had been a popular figure in the state for two decades.
—Michelle L. Price, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2023
As a graduate student, Guillory’s annual tuition is set to increase by $432 to $7,608 in the 2024-25 school year.
—Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
And with Boston’s large student population, there are opportunities for the industry to create jobs for students and graduates who are interested in agriculture, technology, and sustainability, the report said.
—Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023
Adjective
After his playing career, Wong landed at Oregon State as a graduate assistant coach on Canham’s staff, working for two years alongside his old double-play partner Barney.
—Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2023
The most successful union efforts this year, including at the UAW, are taking place in higher education, where thousands of graduate students have organized after being barred from doing so under the Trump administration.
—Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
For graduate students, by 2028-29 tuition would jump to $9,612, according to the system.
—Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Also, those borrowers who have undergraduate and graduate loans in the mix will pay a weighted average of between 5% and 10% of their discretionary income based on the original principal balances of their loans.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
Geneva College is a private, four-year Christian college with an enrollment of 1,315 students, including 135 graduate students.
—Zach Mentz, cleveland, 7 Sep. 2023
As with other learning setbacks, math issues are most pronounced among Black, Latino, low-income and other vulnerable students, says Katharine Strunk, who led a study on learning delays in Michigan and is now dean of the graduate school of education at the University of Pennsylvania.
—Collin Binkley, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2023
Other departments represented included medical fields of study, computer science and engineering, largely from graduate programs.
—Katherine Oung, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Aug. 2023
Black people made up about 9.5 percent of graduate students and only 6 percent of doctoral students.
—Todd Richmond, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graduate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb, Noun, and Adjective
Middle English, from Medieval Latin graduatus, past participle of graduare, from Latin gradus step, degree
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of graduate was
in the 15th century
Articles Related to graduate
Dictionary Entries Near graduate
Cite this Entry
“Graduate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graduate. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
graduate
1 of 3 noun
grad·u·ate
ˈgraj-(ə-)wət
-ə-ˌwāt
1
: a holder of an academic degree or diploma
2
: a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask for measuring
graduate
2 of 3 adjective1
: holding an academic degree or diploma
2
: of or relating to studies beyond the bachelor's degree
graduate
3 of 3 verb
grad·u·ate
ˈgraj-ə-ˌwāt
graduated; graduating
1
: to grant or receive an academic degree or diploma
2
: to divide into grades, classes, or intervals
graduated thermometer
Medical Definition
graduate
1 of 2 noun
grad·u·ate
ˈgraj-(ə-)wət
-ə-ˌwāt
-ə-ˌwāt
: a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask for measuring
graduate
2 of 2 transitive verb
grad·u·ate
ˈgraj-ə-ˌwāt
graduated; graduating
: to mark with degrees of measurement
More from Merriam-Webster on graduate
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for graduate
Nglish: Translation of graduate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of graduate for Arabic Speakers
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