graduation

American  

[graj-oo-ey-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

This graduation overhaul is about “creating deeper, more meaningful educational experiences,” said state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The graduation ceremony on 16 September will see Matson give a speech to the students graduating alongside him.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

However, approximately 22 states require economics for graduation, although some states, including Texas and California, replaced economics requirements with personal finance.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

Pride isn’t thinking ahead to graduation just yet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

A few days before the end of the school year, our class practiced for graduation in the auditorium, which also served as the cafeteria.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

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

Stearn, the sources said, has grown especially close with command staff in the Valley, who have invited him to attend police recruit graduations as their guest.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

For some daughters, the night marked the first time they’d danced with their father, a bittersweet reminder of lost birthdays, prom-nights and graduations.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025

I’m grateful to everyone who reads and shares this tradition, through all your family games, neighborhood feuds, sprained ankles, surgically-repaired shoulders, weddings, graduations, funerals, babies and at least three confused Aaron Rodgers franchises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

“I had no father at graduations, milestones, my wedding. “I lost out on a whole relationship in high school, middle school, college, without a father.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• convocation