noun
grade
grayd
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."
2
A level of quality, rank, or degree within a scale.
"This is a high-grade steel used in aircraft parts."
3
A year or level of school (US usage), such as third grade or ninth grade.
"My daughter just started fourth grade."
4
The slope or steepness of a road, hill, or railway track.
"Trucks must shift down on the steep grade."
verb
1
To assign a score or mark to someone's work.
"The teacher spent the weekend grading essays."
2
To sort items into categories based on quality or size.
"The eggs are graded before being packed and sold."
3
To level or smooth the surface of land, especially before construction.
"Workers graded the lot before pouring the foundation."
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
Word Forms
graded past tense, grades plural, grades singular
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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."