3 N‑COUNT [oft adj N ] Your grade in an examination or piece of written work is the mark you get, usually in the form of a letter or number, that indicates your level of achievement. □ What grade are you hoping to get? □ There was a lot of pressure on you to obtain good grades.
4 N‑COUNT Your grade in a company or organization is your level of importance or your rank. □ Staff turnover is particularly high among junior grades.
5 N‑COUNT In the United States, a grade is a group of classes in which all the children are of a similar age. When you are six years old you go into the first grade and you leave school after the twelfth grade. □ Mr White teaches first grade in south Georgia.
6 N‑COUNT A grade is a slope. [AM ] □ She drove up a steep grade and then began the long descent into the desert. in BRIT, use gradient 7 N‑COUNT Someone's grade is their military rank. [AM ] □ I was a naval officer, lieutenant junior grade.
8 PHRASE If someone makes the grade , they succeed, especially by reaching a particular standard. □ She had a strong desire to be a dancer but failed to make the grade. COLLOCATIONS grade NOUN
1
adjective + grade : fine, high, premium, top; low, standard
3
noun + grade : exam
adjective + grade : good, high; low, poor
verb + grade : achieve, obtain SYNONYMS grade VERB 1
classify: Rocks can be classified according to their mode of origin.
rate: He is generally rated Italy's No. 3 industrialist.
group: The fact sheets are grouped into seven sections.
rank: Mr Short does not even rank in the world's top ten.
gra de cross|ing (grade crossings ) N‑COUNT A grade crossing is a place where a railway track crosses a road at the same level. [AM ] in BRIT, use level crossing
gra d|ed rea d|er (graded readers ) N‑COUNT A graded reader is a story which has been adapted for people learning to read or learning a foreign language. Graded readers avoid using difficult grammar and vocabulary.
-grader /-gre I də r / (-graders ) COMB -grader combines with words such as 'first' and 'second' to form nouns which refer to a child or young person who is in a particular grade in the American education system. □ …a sixth-grader at the Latta School.
gra de school (grade schools ) N‑VAR [oft in N ] In the United States, a grade school is the same as an elementary school . □ I was just in grade school at the time, but I remember it perfectly.
gra|di|ent /gre I diənt/ (gradients ) N‑COUNT A gradient is a slope, or the degree to which the ground slopes. [BRIT ] □ …a gradient of 1 in 3. □ The courses are long and punishing, with steep gradients. in AM, usually use grade
grad|ual /græ dʒuəl/ ADJ A gradual change or process occurs in small stages over a long period of time, rather than suddenly. □ Losing weight is a slow, gradual process. □ You can expect her progress at school to be gradual rather than brilliant.
gradu|al|ly ◆◇◇ /græ dʒuəli/ ADV [ADV with v] If something changes or is done gradually , it changes or is done in small stages over a long period of time, rather than suddenly. □ Electricity lines to 30,000 homes were gradually being restored yesterday. □ Gradually we learned to cope. SYNONYMS gradually ADV
steadily: The company has steadily been losing market share.
slowly: My resentment of her slowly began to fade.
bit by bit: Bit by bit I began to understand what they were trying to do.
little by little: I would have to learn, little by little, to exist alone.
step by step: I am not rushing things and I'm taking it step by step.
gradu|ate ◆◇◇ (graduates , graduating , graduated ) The noun is pronounced /græ dʒuət/. The verb is pronounced /græ dʒue I t/. 1 N‑COUNT In Britain, a graduate is a person who has successfully completed a degree at a university or college and has received a certificate that shows this. □ They are looking for graduates with humanities or business degrees. □ [+ in ] …graduates in engineering. [Also + from/of ]
2 N‑COUNT In the United States, a graduate is a student who has successfully completed a course at a high school, college, or university. □ The top one-third of all high school graduates are entitled to an education at the California State University.
3 VERB In Britain, when a student graduates from university, they have successfully completed a degree course. □ [V prep] She graduated in English and Drama from Manchester University. [Also V ]
4 VERB In the United States, when a student graduates , they complete their studies successfully and leave their school or university. You can also say that a school or university graduates a student or students. □ [V prep] When the boys graduated from high school, Ann moved to a small town in Vermont. □ [V n] In 1986, American universities graduated a record number of students with degrees in computer science. [Also V ]
5 VERB If you graduate from one thing to another, you go from a less important job or position to a more important one. □ [V + to/from ] From commercials she quickly graduated to television shows. COLLOCATIONS graduate NOUN 1
noun + graduate : college, university; arts, economics, law, science