graduation

noun

grad·​u·​a·​tion ˌgra-jə-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce graduation (audio)
Synonyms of graduationnext
1
: a mark on an instrument or vessel indicating degrees or quantity
also : these marks
2
a
: the award or acceptance of an academic degree or diploma
b
: commencement
3
: arrangement in degrees or ranks

Synonyms of graduation

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of graduation in a Sentence

He joined the navy after graduation. We had a party to celebrate her graduation from high school. They took lots of pictures at their son's graduation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her husband has already missed her daughter’s eighth-grade graduation with honors and her son’s sports championship. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 Then, a month after their graduation — the day before my 50th birthday, doctors saw spots on my liver. — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Of course, brunettes hair has enjoyed some serious experimentation over the past year, with various graduations of the tone making waves. — Elle Turner, Glamour, 4 July 2026 The former couple publicly reunited in May for their daughter Ella’s high school graduation. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for graduation

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of graduation was in 1611

Rhymes for graduation

See All Rhymes for graduation

Browse Nearby Words

graduateship
graduation
gradus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Graduation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graduation. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

graduation

noun
grad·​u·​a·​tion ˌgraj-ə-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce graduation (audio)
1
: a mark or the marks on an instrument or container indicating degrees or quantity
2
a
: an act or process of graduating
b
: the ceremony marking the completion by a student of a course of study at a school or college : commencement
3
: arrangement in degrees or ranks

More from Merriam-Webster on graduation

Nglish: Translation of graduation for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All