graduation
grad-yoo-AY-shuhn
Graduation (noun) means the act of completing a degree or course of study. Example: “After graduation, he moved to the city to look for work.”
noun
1
The act of completing a degree or course of study.
"After graduation, he moved to the city to look for work."
"Graduation from the nursing course meant she could finally apply for hospital jobs."
"Her graduation from medical school took eight years of hard work."
2
A ceremony held to mark the completion of a degree or course of study.
"Parents wore their best clothes to attend the graduation in the main hall."
"The graduation ended with everyone throwing their caps into the air."
"The whole family came to watch her graduation."
3
A mark on a scale showing a unit of measurement.
"Each graduation on the measuring jug marks another fifty millilitres."
"Fine graduations along the ruler let us measure to the nearest millimetre."
"The thermometer's graduations were hard to read in the dim light."
How to use graduation
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither finishing a course of study, the ceremony celebrating it, or the marks on a measuring scale.
Common pairings
graduation ceremony
graduation day
graduation gown
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Word forms
- Plural
- graduations
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After _____, he moved to the city to look for work.
Etymology
From graduate plus the noun-forming suffix -ion.
Related words
Rhymes for graduation
region
ablation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for graduation →
Frequently asked questions
What does “graduation” mean?
The word “graduation” means the act of completing a degree or course of study. In plain terms, either finishing a course of study, the ceremony celebrating it, or the marks on a measuring scale.
How do you pronounce “graduation”?
“Graduation” is pronounced grad-yoo-AY-shuhn (/ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/ in IPA).
How do you use “graduation” in a sentence?
Here is “graduation” used in a sentence: “Her graduation from medical school took eight years of hard work.”
What part of speech is “graduation”?
“Graduation” is a noun.
Is “graduation” a common word?
“Graduation” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “graduation” have?
“Graduation” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the act of completing a degree or course of study.
What is the difference between graduation and commencement?
Graduation is the act of completing a degree or course of study, while commencement is the ceremony that celebrates it. In American English the two words are often used interchangeably for the ceremony itself, but strictly speaking you graduate once you have met all the requirements, whether or not you attend commencement.
Is it correct to say "graduated college" or "graduated from college"?
The standard construction is "graduated from college": "She graduated from Oxford in June." Dropping the preposition, as in "she graduated college," is common in informal American English but is still widely regarded as nonstandard, so use "graduated from" in careful writing.
What is the difference between graduation and convocation?
Both can refer to a degree ceremony, but graduation names the completion of the course of study itself, while convocation is the traditional name for the ceremony at many universities in Canada, India, and parts of the UK. In everyday speech, graduation is the more universal term.
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