grade
grayd
Grade (noun) means a mark or score showing how well someone did on a test or in a course. Example: “She got an A grade on her final exam.”
noun
1
A mark or score showing how well someone did on a test or in a course.
"She got an A grade on her final exam."
"His grades improved a lot after he started studying every night."
"Parents were pleased with the grade their son received in his history essay."
2
A level of quality, rank, or degree within a scale.
"This is a high-grade steel used in aircraft parts."
"The shop sells three grades of olive oil, and the best grade costs the most."
"Only the top grade of wool is used to make these coats."
3
A year or level of school (US usage), such as third grade or ninth grade.
"My daughter just started fourth grade."
"Our class visited a farm in fifth grade and learned about sheep."
"In the second grade, he learned to read short stories by himself."
4
The slope or steepness of a road, hill, or railway track.
"Trucks must shift down on the steep grade."
"The cyclists struggled up a long grade that seemed to go on forever."
"A gentle grade made the old railway line easy for the little train."
verb
1
To assign a score or mark to someone's work.
"The teacher spent the weekend grading essays."
"I need to grade all of these maths tests before Monday morning."
"Our tutor grades each assignment carefully and adds comments in the margin."
2
To sort items into categories based on quality or size.
"The eggs are graded before being packed and sold."
"The farmer grades the apples by size before sending them to the shops."
"Experts grade the wool according to how fine and clean it is."
3
To level or smooth the surface of land, especially before construction.
"Workers graded the lot before pouring the foundation."
"They hired a machine to grade the slope behind the new house."
"The crew graded the ground carefully so that rainwater would drain away."
How to use grade
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA level, rank, or mark — used for school scores, quality levels, school years, and even the steepness of a slope.
UK vs US
US uses "grade" for a school year (third grade); British English typically says "year" (Year 3) instead.
Common pairings
pass grade
grade level
high-grade
grade a road
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Word forms
- Plural
- grades
- Third person singular
- grades
- Past tense
- graded
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She got an A _____ on her final exam.
Etymology
From Middle French grade, from Latin gradus ("a step, degree"), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to walk" or "to step."
Related words
Rhymes for grade
See all rhymes for grade →Frequently asked questions
What does “grade” mean?
The word “grade” means a mark or score showing how well someone did on a test or in a course. In plain terms, a level, rank, or mark — used for school scores, quality levels, school years, and even the steepness of a slope.
How do you pronounce “grade”?
“Grade” is pronounced grayd ([ɡɹeɪd] in IPA).
How do you use “grade” in a sentence?
Here is “grade” used in a sentence: “She got an A grade on her final exam.”
What part of speech is “grade”?
Depending on how it is used, “grade” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “grade” come from?
The word “grade” comes from Latin. From Middle French grade, from Latin gradus ("a step, degree"), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to walk" or "to step.".
Is “grade” a common word?
“Grade” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “grade” have?
“Grade” has 7 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a mark or score showing how well someone did on a test or in a course.
What is the difference between a grade and a mark?
They are close, and in British English often interchangeable. A mark usually means the raw score, such as 78 out of 100, while a grade is the letter or band it falls into, like A or B. A mark records the exact result; a grade sorts that result into a category.
What are the different meanings of grade?
Beyond a school score, grade can mean a level of quality, such as grade A eggs; a rank or position, such as a senior grade; a year level in American schools, such as fifth grade; or the steepness of a slope. As a verb it means to mark work or to sort by quality.
What is considered a good grade?
This depends on the system, but an A, or a percentage in the high 80s or 90s, is generally seen as strong, while a pass often sits around 40 to 50 percent. Good is relative to the course, the grading scale, and personal goals, so context matters more than the letter alone.
What is the difference between a grade and a GPA?
A grade is the score for a single test, assignment, or course. A grade point average, or GPA, combines many grades into one overall figure, usually on a set scale, to summarise performance across a whole programme. One is a single result; the other is a cumulative average of many.
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