Graduate

Pronunciation

Origin

From Latin graduātus ("graduated"), from gradus ("step").

Full definition of graduate

Noun

1. (from a university) A person who is recognized by a university as having completed the requirements of a degree studied at the institutionIf the government wants graduates to stay in the country they should offer more incentives.
2. (US) A person who is recognized by a high school as having completed the requirements of a course of study at the school
3. A graduated (marked) cup or other container, thus fit for measuring

Antonyms

• (person recognized for having finished studies) student, drop-out

Coordinate terms

• (person recognized by school) graduand, undergraduate, postgraduate

Adjective

1. graduated, arranged by degrees
2. holding an academic degree
3. relating to an academic degree

Verb

1. (intransitive, ergative) To be recognized by a school or university as having completed the requirements of a degree studied at the institution. See note on “from” usage.The man graduated in 1967.Trisha graduated from college.Trisha graduated college.
2. (transitive) To certify (a student) as having earned a degreeIndiana University graduated the student.The college graduated him as soon as he was no longer eligible to play under NCAA rules.
3. (transitive) To mark (something) with degrees; to divide into regular steps or intervals, as the scale of a thermometer, a scheme of punishment or rewards, etc.
4. (intransitive) To change gradually.sandstone which graduates into gneiss; carnelian sometimes graduates into quartz
5. To prepare gradually; to arrange, temper, or modify by degrees or to a certain degree; to determine the degrees of.to graduate the heat of an oven
• BrowneDyers advance and graduate their colours with salts.
6. (chemistry) To bring to a certain degree of consistency, by evaporation, as a fluid.
7. To taper, as the tail of certain birds.

Usage notes

In the sense “to complete studies”, the preposition “from” is often used, but may be dropped in informal speech, as in “I just graduated from college” vs. informal “I just graduated college”. This varies between speakers, and some speakers consider “from” required, marking “I graduated college” as incorrect or uneducated.

Note also that the subject and object can switch between the school and the student: “I graduated from Indiana University last year” vs. “Indiana University graduated me last year”.

Derived terms

• graduator

Related terms

• grade
• graduation