graduate

[ noun adjective graj-oo-it, -eyt; verb graj-oo-eyt ]

noun

1. a person who has received a degree or diploma on completing a course of study, as in a university, college, or school.
2. a student who holds the bachelor's or the first professional degree and is studying for an advanced degree.
3. a graduated cylinder, used for measuring.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or involved in academic study beyond the first or bachelor's degree:

   graduate courses in business; a graduate student.

2. having an academic degree or diploma:

   a graduate engineer.

verb (used without object)

, grad·u·at·ed, grad·u·at·ing.

1. to receive a degree or diploma on completing a course of study (often followed by from ):

   She graduated from college in 1985.

2. to pass by degrees; change gradually.

verb (used with object)

, grad·u·at·ed, grad·u·at·ing.

1. to confer a degree upon, or to grant a diploma to, at the close of a course of study, as in a university, college, or school:

   Cornell graduated eighty students with honors.

2. Informal. to receive a degree or diploma from:

   She graduated college in 1950.

3. to arrange in grades or gradations; establish gradation in.
4. to divide into or mark with degrees or other divisions, as the scale of a thermometer.

graduate

noun

1. 1. a person who has been awarded a first degree from a university or college
   2. ( as modifier )

      a graduate profession

2. a student who has completed a course of studies at a high school and received a diploma
3. a container, such as a flask, marked to indicate its capacity

verb

1. to receive or cause to receive a degree or diploma
2. tr to confer a degree, diploma, etc upon
3. tr to mark (a thermometer, flask, etc) with units of measurement; calibrate
4. tr to arrange or sort into groups according to type, quality, etc
5. introften foll byto to change by degrees (from something to something else)

Usage Note

In the sense “to receive a degree or diploma” graduate followed by from is the most common construction today: Her daughter graduated from Yale in 1981. The passive form was graduated from, formerly insisted upon as the only correct pattern, has decreased in use and occurs infrequently today: My husband was graduated from West Point last year. Even though it is condemned by some as nonstandard, the use of graduate as a transitive verb meaning “to receive a degree or diploma from” is increasing in frequency in both speech and writing: The twins graduated high school in 1974.

Derived Forms

• ˈgraduˌator, noun

Other Words From

• gradu·ator noun
• non·gradu·ate noun
• super·gradu·ate noun
• un·gradu·ating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of graduate¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin graduātus (past participle of graduāre ), equivalent to grad ( us ) grade, step + -u- thematic vowel + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of graduate¹

C15: from Medieval Latin graduārī to take a degree, from Latin gradus a step

Example Sentences

Taylor is 73 years old and a graduate of Yale.

From Salon

Many years later, in graduate school, when I first read “Sonny’s Blues,” a short story originally published in 1957 by James Baldwin about family and addiction, I would think back to this painting, in this house, and how its beauty halted me in my tracks, how it dared me to pause and consider my place in the wide world.

From Los Angeles Times

She and Zhang, a 26-year-old graduate student in nursing, now post pictures from their own lives on Xiaohongshu to about 2,500 followers, hoping to help other young queer people come out to their families.

From Los Angeles Times

Brostrom said UC hoped to stick to its plans to increase California student enrollment — proposing to add 2,044 more undergraduates and 625 new graduate students in 2025-26 — calling that a “top goal” regardless of state funding decisions.

From Los Angeles Times

Some trustees have expressed exasperation at state expectations to increase California enrollment and help students graduate to help fill projected workforce shortages while reducing funding to do the work.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alum
• alumna
• alumnus
• doctor
• grad
• recipient