graduate

1 of 3

verb

grad·​u·​ate ˈgra-jə-ˌwāt How to pronounce graduate (audio)
graduated; graduating

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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
graduator noun
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.

graduate

2 of 3

noun

grad·​u·​ate ˈgra-jə-wət How to pronounce graduate (audio) -ˌwāt How to pronounce graduate (audio)
ˈgraj-wət
1
: a holder of an academic degree or diploma
a college graduate
2
: a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask

graduate

3 of 3

adjective

grad·​u·​ate ˈgra-jə-wət How to pronounce graduate (audio)
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Echeverri, also a Bogotá native, was a ceramicist, who recently graduated with a fine art degree from The University of the Andes. Beverly Bryan, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2024 After graduating with a literature degree from a state school in Indiana, Cyrus is working part time for the university hospital as a medical actor, pretending to have terminal illnesses so that doctors-in-training can practice their bedside manner. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 Megan worried about causing pain Megan, originally from Holmen, a town of about 11,000 people north of La Crosse, met Sam shortly after graduating from college and accepting a job near Tomah. Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 The first was an Emmy juggernaut, and a big enough hit to graduate from miniseries to ongoing, even though there wasn’t any story left to tell for a second season. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 There were nearly 30 new players participating, including two dozen transfers and four freshman who graduated early from high school in order to get acquainted. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 After graduating as valedictorian, in one of his first cases, Marshall sued the University of Maryland. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The course must be offered in the 2026-27 school year, and the graduation requirement would first apply to the seniors graduating in 2029-30. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Alums five or 10 years ahead of him, like Simone Rocha, Christopher Kane and Jonathan Saunders, launched brands straight out of school, but McGirr and his classmates graduated on the other side of the Great Recession. Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
Garcia-Cross, a 2018 graduate of NBC’s Writers on the Verge program, will also exec produce alongside Robin Shorr (Diary of a Future President, The Carmichael Show, Galavant, The Middle), who will serve as showrunner on the potential series. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Ashley Chen, 23, a recent graduate of Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University, is applying for doctoral programs in the United States. Cate Cadell, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 The Graduate Organized Laborers of Dartmouth represents graduate teaching and research assistants. Chris Isidore, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The graduate student grew up in Boone and has played his entire college career for the Mountaineers, who recently claimed their first outright regular-season conference championship since 1978-79. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 Morrison had been Oppenheimer’s graduate student at Berkeley in the late 1930s. TIME, 8 Mar. 2024 When that happens, graduates tend to view their experience more favorably. Michael Sandler, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 An Israeli native and UCLA business school graduate, Kreiz, 58, previously led YouTube content producer Maker Studios, which Disney acquired in 2014. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 Arabella studied theater and the fine arts as an undergraduate and graduate student. Francesca Gariano, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In a narrow, windowless room at the University of Southern California, a group of graduate students is workshopping a short story. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Curated by graduate students from the school’s masters program for fashion and textile studies, the show features 50 era-spanning garments and accessories. John Wogan Juliet Izon Gisela Williams Lindsey Tramuta Julia Halperin Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The yearly travel to the continent also gives undergraduate and graduate students an unforgettable experience. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024 During the pandemic, more people with graduate or professional degrees left California than arrived from other parts of the county, a remarkable reversal for a state with a powerhouse economy and world-class universities. Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 Those breaches included attempts by graduate students of Dr. Qiu at the University of Manitoba, all of whom were Chinese nationals, to remove material from the lab and being allowed to wander through the facility unescorted. Ian Austen, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Annette Rodriguez was a graduate fellow at the center toward the end of this period. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Luis gave up on graduate school, for fear of condemning himself to years of online classes. Eric Klinenberg, TIME, 9 Feb. 2024 And 75% of undergraduate students and 20% of graduate students complete the FAFSA form. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 12 Jan. 2024

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

Dictionary Entries Near graduate

Cite this Entry

“Graduate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graduate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

graduate

1 of 3 noun
grad·​u·​ate ˈgraj-(ə-)wət How to pronounce graduate (audio)
-ə-ˌwāt
1
: a holder of an academic degree or diploma
2
: a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask for measuring

graduate

2 of 3 adjective
1
: 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 How to pronounce graduate (audio)
graduated; graduating
1
: to grant or receive an academic degree or diploma
2
: to divide into grades, classes, or intervals
graduated thermometer
graduator noun

Medical Definition

graduate

1 of 2 noun
grad·​u·​ate ˈgraj-(ə-)wət How to pronounce graduate (audio) -ə-ˌwāt How to pronounce graduate (audio)
: a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask for measuring

graduate

2 of 2 transitive verb
grad·​u·​ate ˈgraj-ə-ˌwāt How to pronounce graduate (audio)
graduated; graduating
: to mark with degrees of measurement
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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