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View synonyms for

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)

graduated, graduating.
  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)

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

      a graduate profession

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

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)
“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
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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.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈˌٴǰ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • u·tǰ noun
  • ԴDz·u·ٱ noun
  • p·u·ٱ noun
  • ܲ·u·iԲ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of graduate1

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin ٳܲ (past participle of ), equivalent to grad ( us ) grade, step + -u- thematic vowel + -ٳܲ -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of graduate1

C15: from Medieval Latin ī to take a degree, from Latin gradus a step
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Dr Munro graduated from Edinburgh university's medical school, before becoming a cruise ship doctor then director of Japan's Yokohama Juzen Hospital.

From

Ms Carter, a welfare and campaigns officer for the university and who just graduated from a sustainable development degree, said she planned to vote.

From

There are also fears about whether their sons, daughters and grandchildren can get a job as millions of college graduates are struggling to find work.

From

The treatment and inflammation led to Ellie developing a cataract that had to be surgically removed, just after she graduated from medical school.

From

Young people have told the BBC they are finding it harder than ever to get a job, with some graduates frustrated at being turned down for roles at supermarkets.

From

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