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.
García said the budget would support enrollment growth, graduation rates and student services.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Some of the conflict is overshadowing graduation day.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
The type that makes you look at your kids and wonder if you’ll be around for their first date, their graduation, their wedding, their children.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
There were times growing up when I wasn’t sure she’d be here for my high school graduation, let alone my college graduation, my wedding or the birth of my two sons.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
To reestablish his links to the black community after graduation, he accepted a scholarship from the Urban League to pursue a master’s degree in social work at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
