graduation

American  

[graj-oo-ay-shuhn] / ˌgrædʒ uˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• graduations
  plural

1. an act of graduating; the state of being graduated.

2. the ceremony of conferring degrees or diplomas, as at a college or school.

3. arrangement in degrees, levels, or ranks.

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graduation British  

/ ˌɡrædjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of graduating or the state of being graduated

2. the ceremony at which school or college degrees and diplomas are conferred

3. a mark or division or all the marks or divisions that indicate measure on an instrument or vessel

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nongraduation
  noun
• pregraduation
  noun
• postgraduation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• graduations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of graduation

1375–1425; late Middle English graduacion < Medieval Latin graduātiōn- (stem of graduātiō ). See graduate, -ion

Explanation

Graduation happens when you successfully complete an academic program, like high school or college. Then you go to a graduation ceremony. Scientists might talk about the graduation lines on beakers and rulers that mark out units of measurement. But when most people hear this word, they think about finishing school. Students and their families celebrate graduation from high school, college, training programs, and even kindergarten. At graduation ceremonies, people often wear funny tasseled hats and long robes, then walk up one by one to get an official diploma or certificate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

graduation graduations

Yes, she has been a kind and supportive aunt, attending your graduation and helping you get your foot on the property ladder.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

The thinking is that third-year college students are the most appealing because they are close to graduation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

For adults who don’t have a primary-care physician, or who have one who doesn’t look at whole health, Neko offers a helpful baseline for those important years between high school graduation and Medicare.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

The scene resembles an Oxbridge graduation ceremony, but those gathered in caps and gowns are in fact Premier League footballers or former players who have won major honours in Europe and around the world.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

It’s the shortest, easiest run I’m attempting all summer, but as I walk down our street toward campus, I’m every bit as nervous as I was on graduation morning.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Bouquets of banknotes or cakes decorated with currency are often ordered as gifts for weddings, birthdays, graduations and other celebrations.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

But he said that as a large buyer of the gas, the company had wider access to suppliers, adding that Dollar Tree already had sufficient balloon supplies for Mother’s Day and spring student graduations.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026

Six years ago, the pandemic sent Klapp and her peers home from their high schools months before their graduations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

At holidays or graduations or milestone birthdays, we’d joke about phantom hunger pangs, gesturing to the empty spot where the foil tray should’ve been.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025

Not for their weddings or their babies or their graduations.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Related Words

• convocation