make the grade

phrase

: to measure up to some standard : be successful

… clever and energetic enough to make the grade in a good law firm …

—John Train

Examples of make the grade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At National Mortgage Center, another DSCR lender, even buyers of short-term rentals can often be approved, and sometimes multifamily projects of more than five units make the grade. — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026

Other names that made the grade in 2027 include Alphabet, Apple , Coca-Cola, Dynatrace , Eli Lilly , Equinix and Williams Companies . — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

Another Spanish-language filmmaker, Chile’s Pablo Larraín, has arguably already made the grade. — John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for make the grade

• anterograde
• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade