graduate

1 of 3

verb

grad·​u·​ate ˈgra-jə-ˌwāt 

graduated; graduating

intransitive verb

1

: to receive an academic degree or diploma

She 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

dated : to grant an academic degree or diploma to

Some thousands of young men are graduated at our colleges in this country every year …

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

ˈgra-jə-ˌwā-tər 

noun

Usage of Graduate

In the second half of the 19th century, many usage writers decided that graduate should only be used with an object; schools could graduate students, and students could be graduated from schools. One such commentator wrote, "students do not graduate; they are graduated." You can safely ignore this rule. "I graduated from college" is now the most common way to phrase the idea. You can also say "I graduated college" or "I was graduated from college." All three are standard, but some people may consider "I was graduated from college" outdated and "I graduated college" incorrect.

graduate

2 of 3

noun

grad·​u·​ate ˈgra-jə-wət  -ˌwāt 

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 

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

In addition to completing college coursework, every student must also participate in an internship and perform community service before graduating. — James Taylor, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

The tight end room will also have to replace Jackson Canaan, who graduated after starting the past two seasons, finishing his SJSU career with 71 receptions for 718 yards. — Haddy Barghouti, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

Noun

Especially at selective colleges, the math on college graduate employment at investment banks is astounding. — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

And a recent college graduate at a marketing firm may begin their new job by evaluating campaign ideas generated by AI, as opposed to sitting down to draft an idea entirely on their own or with colleagues. — Murugan Anandarajan, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026

Adjective

In total, Blumstein is hoping to raise between $75,000 to $100,000 each year to support graduate students. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

In 2020, graduate medical education successfully transitioned into a single accreditation system under the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). — Abigail MacKenzie, STAT, 5 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for graduate

• postgraduate
• undergraduate

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 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 

graduated; graduating

1

: to grant or receive an academic degree or diploma

2

: to divide into grades, classes, or intervals

graduator

-ˌwāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

graduate

1 of 2 noun

grad·​u·​ate ˈgraj-(ə-)wət  -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