graduation
Americannoun
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an act of graduating; the state of being graduated.
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the ceremony of conferring degrees or diplomas, as at a college or school.
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arrangement in degrees, levels, or ranks.
noun
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the act of graduating or the state of being graduated
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the ceremony at which school or college degrees and diplomas are conferred
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a mark or division or all the marks or divisions that indicate measure on an instrument or vessel
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing graduation
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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Vocabulary from poems about communication
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"Hanging Fire"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Giordano spent his son’s college graduation glued to his phone, coordinating the first wave of retrievals.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
After graduation, Rana enrolled in Marymount University in 2008, where he was on the men’s soccer team.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
In 1976, during the summer of his college graduation, the Supreme Court, helmed by Nixon appointee Warren Burger, found in Washington v.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
Joaquin Miranda knew he recognized the photo circulating online of a man posing in a graduation gown at Cal State Dominguez Hills, but he couldn’t quite place it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026
“Before, you told me your mother had already planned the music for your graduation party. What was the first dance that she wanted?”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
