graduation

American  

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

noun

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

• nongraduation noun
• postgraduation adjective
• pregraduation noun

Etymology

Origin of graduation

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

Example Sentences

In 2024, her husband, Akida, opened the Barcelona High School, an American school, thinking it would help their son move to the U.S. after graduation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Similarly, skip big broad questions such as, “Which country in Europe is best for a college graduation trip?”

From The Wall Street Journal

“The training does not stop after graduation from the academy. Recruits are put on a rigorous on-the-job training program that is tracked and monitored.”

From Los Angeles Times

Mark ended up reclassifying again, this time moving up a grade, to his original graduation year.

From The Wall Street Journal

In its all-too-human view of life, this is, entertainingly, whatever the opposite of a cloying graduation speech is.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• convocation