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 All three are standard, but some people may consider "I was graduated from college" outdated and "I graduated college" incorrect.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

Prince William trained to become a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force, graduating from the Search and Rescue Training Unit at RAF Valley, Anglesey, in 2010. —Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025

Today, girls are better readers, earn better grades, and are more likely to graduate from high school. —Soraya Chemaly, Time, 24 Nov. 2025

Noun

Less than an hour into the fair, Snitzer had already rung up some sales, including a semi-abstract landscape in oil by thirty-something Miami artist Ema Ri, a graduate of the New World school whose work is suddenly a hot commodity. —Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025

Ednium drove the effort to require financial literacy proficiency of all Colorado high school graduates. —Anna Alejo, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Yet, even with these struggles, public perceptions of graduate dissatisfaction are far more pessimistic than the reality, according to research from King’s College London and the Higher Education Policy Institute. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025

After leaving his post-graduate engineering job, Nye kicked off a career in comedy before landing a pilot that would land him in primary school classrooms for years to come. —Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025

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