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

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Etymology

Origin of graduation

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

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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

Now Johnson said she’s struggling to get her resume and cover letter through automated application readers that may mistakenly interpret her college graduation date of 2025 as meaning she’s had little work experience.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

He hopes to eventually follow the students into high school and college to examine whether their early academic advantages translate into higher graduation rates and college readiness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

For students who got texts from coaches because of the study, graduation improved by 9.3 percentage points.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

In reality, Navatek’s initial research “looked like a college senior’s graduation project,” the executive said.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

“I said we’re coming to Chicago. Your mom and Malc, me and Olivia. It’s kind of like a graduation celebration.”

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

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

There are shots of graduations, holidays - typical reminders of special moments and milestones.

From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025

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

We were regular fixtures at each other's birthday parties, graduations, and weddings.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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