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Synonyms

grad

1 American  
[grad] / græd /

noun

Informal.

  1. a graduate.

grad 2 American  
[grad] / græd /

noun

  1. one hundredth of a right angle.

grad. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Mathematics. gradient.

  2. graduate.

  3. graduated.

grad. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. maths gradient

  2. education graduate(d)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
grad 2 British  
/ ɡræd /

noun

  1. informal a graduate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of grad1

First recorded in 1870–75; by shortening

Origin of grad2

1905–10; < French grade degree < Latin gradus step

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.

I’d been working for 15 years after grad school but had barely made a dent in my student loans.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

More on MarketWatch: A college grad earning $62K can have $1 million in just 10 years, podcasters say.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

That’s where he meets struggling grad student Kip Grady.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

He’s a Crenshaw grad who says he was kicked off the basketball team by legendary coach Willie West.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

Most of my friends were in grad school or had found great jobs already, working at prestigious firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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.