graduation

noun

grad·​u·​a·​tion ˌgra-jə-ˈwā-shən 

1

: a mark on an instrument or vessel indicating degrees or quantity

also : these marks

2

a

: the award or acceptance of an academic degree or diploma

b

: commencement

3

: arrangement in degrees or ranks

Synonyms of graduation

• ladder
• hierarchy
• ranking
• scale
• series

Examples of graduation in a Sentence

He joined the navy after graduation.

We had a party to celebrate her graduation from high school.

They took lots of pictures at their son's graduation.

Recent Examples on the Web

In North Carolina, House Bill 8 was part of a larger education bill that also covered things like adding a computer science requirement for high school graduation. — Chloe Albanesius, PC Magazine, 14 July 2026

At her graduation from Spelman College in May 2026, Zahara dropped Pitt’s last name and accepted her diploma as Zahara Marley Jolie. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 13 July 2026

Fresh off the heels of graduation from high school, many rising freshmen are choosing to step off of the treadmill for a year before matriculating in college. — Dj Didonna, Time, 13 July 2026

Between 2019 and 2025, Chief Leschi Schools reported four-year graduation rates rose from 53% to 87%. — Savannah Peters, Fortune, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for graduation

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Kids Definition

graduation

noun

grad·​u·​a·​tion ˌgraj-ə-ˈwā-shən 

1

: a mark or the marks on an instrument or container indicating degrees or quantity

2

a

: an act or process of graduating

b

: the ceremony marking the completion by a student of a course of study at a school or college : commencement

3

: arrangement in degrees or ranks