graduate

[ noun, adjective graj-oo-it, -eyt; verb graj-oo-eyt ]

/ noun, adjective ˈgrædʒ u ɪt, -ˌeɪt; verb ˈgrædʒ uˌeɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR graduate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who has received a degree or diploma on completing a course of study, as in a university, college, or school.

a student who holds the bachelor's or the first professional degree and is studying for an advanced degree.

a graduated cylinder, used for measuring.

adjective

of, relating to, or involved in academic study beyond the first or bachelor's degree: graduate courses in business; a graduate student.

having an academic degree or diploma: a graduate engineer.

verb (used without object), grad·u·at·ed, grad·u·at·ing.

to receive a degree or diploma on completing a course of study (often followed by from): She graduated from college in 1985.

to pass by degrees; change gradually.

verb (used with object), grad·u·at·ed, grad·u·at·ing.

to confer a degree upon, or to grant a diploma to, at the close of a course of study, as in a university, college, or school: Cornell graduated eighty students with honors.

Informal. to receive a degree or diploma from: She graduated college in 1950.

to arrange in grades or gradations; establish gradation in.

to divide into or mark with degrees or other divisions, as the scale of a thermometer.

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disgruntle

to deprive of ability, qualification, or strength

to put into a state of sulky dissatisfaction

to make repayment or return for (service, benefits, etc.)

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Origin of graduate

1375–1425; late Middle English <Medieval Latin graduātus (past participle of graduāre), equivalent to grad(us) grade, step + -u- thematic vowel + -ātus-ate¹

usage note for graduate

In the sense “to receive a degree or diploma” graduate followed by from is the most common construction today: Her daughter graduated from Yale in 1981. The passive form was graduated from, formerly insisted upon as the only correct pattern, has decreased in use and occurs infrequently today: My husband was graduated from West Point last year.
Even though it is condemned by some as nonstandard, the use of graduate as a transitive verb meaning “to receive a degree or diploma from” is increasing in frequency in both speech and writing: The twins graduated high school in 1974.

OTHER WORDS FROM graduate

grad·u·a·tor, nounnon·grad·u·ate, nounsu·per·grad·u·ate, nounun·grad·u·at·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for graduate

He came to Atari seven years ago, immediately after graduating from Berkeley.
‘Asteroids’ & The Dawn of the Gamer Age|David Owen|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After graduating high school, he attending the University of Virginia, double-majoring in economics and foreign relations.
Ben McKenzie’s Journey From Reluctant Teen Idol on ‘The O.C.’ to Sheriff of ‘Gotham’|Marlow Stern|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All these talented chefs are graduating from these old-guard kitchens and branching out and the market is saturated.
High Rents Are Killing the Restaurant Capital|Will Doig|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was a talented singer, and after graduating high school in Aurora she enrolled at Denver Community College to study music.
Indiana Serial Killer’s Confession Was Just the Start|Michael Daly|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

After graduating from college, I lived for 15 years without even owning a television set.
Five Lessons the Faltering Music Industry Could Learn From TV|Ted Gioia|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His name appears in the graduating class of 1838 of the University of Nashville.
By-Ways of War|James Jeffrey Roche
Educated at Harvard University, Cambridge, graduating in 1774.
The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History|Various
In the fall of 1881 he was matriculated in the same course at the state university, graduating with honor in June, 1885.
Scandinavians on the Pacific, Puget Sound|Thomas Ostenson Stine
In 1876 we find him graduating in a class of one from Biddle University—the first college graduate from that school.
Twentieth Century Negro Literature|Various
I was selected as the class orator at our graduating exercises, and mother was very happy over it.
Bought and Paid For|Arthur Hornblow

British Dictionary definitions for graduate

graduate

noun (ˈɡrædjʊɪt)

a person who has been awarded a first degree from a university or college
(as modifier)a graduate profession

US and Canadian a student who has completed a course of studies at a high school and received a diploma

US a container, such as a flask, marked to indicate its capacity

verb (ˈɡrædjʊˌeɪt)

to receive or cause to receive a degree or diploma

(tr) mainly US and Canadian to confer a degree, diploma, etc upon

(tr) to mark (a thermometer, flask, etc) with units of measurement; calibrate

(tr) to arrange or sort into groups according to type, quality, etc

(intr often foll by to) to change by degrees (from something to something else)

Derived forms of graduate

graduator, noun

Word Origin for graduate

C15: from Medieval Latin graduārī to take a degree, from Latin gradus a step

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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