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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
So after Boobie graduates next spring, the family will pack up and move west. Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025 Angeli, who graduated from Notre Dame, will return to the school when Syracuse plays at Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 22. Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
Several, including former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk, were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with an official pointing to the President’s Executive Orders on antisemitism following Khalil’s arrest. Solcyré Burga, Time, 19 Aug. 2025 Ava Nightingale, a recent graduate of Eisenhower High School and rising freshman at The College of Charleston, and Ari Saperstein, a recent graduate of West Bloomfield High School and a rising freshman at the Michigan State University, are 2025 Detroit Free Press summer apprentices. Ava Nightingale, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Currently, graduate students can borrow up to their entire cost of attendance with Grad PLUS loans. Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025 Evidence for a series of unexploded bombs bombs lurking below an area of outstanding natural beauty in Canada has been unearthed by a pair of graduate students. Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for graduate

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Graduate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graduate. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on graduate

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