adjective + graduate : unemployed; new, recent; bright, skilled
verb + graduate : employ, recruit; attract, produce
gradu|at|ed /græ dʒue I t I d/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Graduated means increasing by regular amounts or grades. □ The U.S. military wants to avoid the graduated escalation that marked the Vietnam War.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Graduated jars are marked with lines and numbers which show particular measurements. □ …a graduated tube marked in millimetres.
gra du|ate school (graduate schools ) N‑VAR In the United States, a graduate school is a department in a university or college where postgraduate students are taught. □ She was in graduate school, studying for a master's degree in social work.
gra du|ate stu |dent (graduate students ) N‑COUNT In the United States, a graduate student is a student with a first degree from a university who is studying or doing research at a more advanced level. [AM ] in BRIT, use postgraduate
gradua|tion /græ dʒue I ʃ ə n/ (graduations )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Graduation is the successful completion of a course of study at a university, college, or school, for which you receive a degree or diploma. □ They asked what his plans were after graduation.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft N n] A graduation is a special ceremony at university, college, or school, at which degrees and diplomas are given to students who have successfully completed their studies. □ …the graduation ceremony at Yale. □ At my brother's high school graduation the students recited a poem.
3 N‑COUNT A graduation is a line or number on a container or measuring instrument which marks a particular measurement. □ …medicine bottles with graduations on them.
graf|fi|ti /grəfiː ti/ N‑UNCOUNT [with sing or pl verb] Graffiti is words or pictures that are written or drawn in public places, for example on walls or posters. □ There's no vandalism, no graffiti, no rubbish left lying about.
graft /grɑː ft, græ ft/ (grafts , grafting , grafted )
1 N‑COUNT A graft is a piece of healthy skin or bone, or a healthy organ, which is attached to a damaged part of your body by a medical operation in order to replace it. □ I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.
2 VERB [usu passive] If a piece of healthy skin or bone or a healthy organ is grafted onto a damaged part of your body, it is attached to that part of your body by a medical operation. □ [be V -ed + onto/on ] The top layer of skin has to be grafted onto the burns.
3 VERB If a part of one plant or tree is grafted onto another plant or tree, they are joined together so that they will become one plant or tree, often in order to produce a new variety. □ [be V -ed + on/onto ] Pear trees are grafted on quince rootstocks.
4 VERB If you graft one idea or system on to another, you try to join one to the other. □ [V n + onto ] The Japanese tried to graft their own methods onto this different structure.
5 N‑UNCOUNT Graft means hard work. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ His career has been one of hard graft.
6 N‑UNCOUNT In politics, graft is used to refer to the activity of using power or authority to obtain money dishonestly. [mainly AM ] □ …another politician accused of graft.
Grail /gre I l/
1 N‑PROPER The Grail or the Holy Grail is the cup that was used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. In medieval times, many people tried to find the Grail without success.
2 N‑SING If you describe something as a grail or a holy grail , you mean that someone is trying very hard to obtain or achieve it. □ The discovery is being hailed as The Holy Grail of astronomy.
grain ◆◇◇ /gre I n/ (grains )
1 N‑COUNT A grain of wheat, rice, or other cereal crop is a seed from it. □ [+ of ] …a grain of wheat. □ …rice grains.
2 N‑VAR Grain is a cereal crop, especially wheat or corn, that has been harvested and is used for food or in trade. □ …a bag of grain. □ …the best grains.
3 N‑COUNT A grain of something such as sand or salt is a tiny hard piece of it. □ [+ of ] …a grain of sand. ● -grained COMB □ …coarse-grained salt.
4 N‑SING A grain of a quality is a very small amount of it. □ [+ of ] There's more than a grain of truth in that.
5 N‑SING The grain of a piece of wood is the direction of its fibres. You can also refer to the pattern of lines on the surface of the wood as the grain . □ Brush the paint generously over the wood in the direction of the grain. ● -grained COMB □ …a hard, heavy, straight-grained wood.
6 PHRASE If you say that an idea or action goes against the grain , you mean that it is very difficult for you to accept it or do it, because it conflicts with your previous ideas, beliefs, or principles. □ Takes some nerve, obviously, and it goes against the grain of British reserve.
grai n el|eva|tor (grain elevators ) N‑COUNT A grain elevator is a building in which grain such as corn is stored and which contains machinery for moving the grain. [AM ]
grainy /gre I ni/
1 ADJ A grainy photograph looks as if it is made up of lots of spots, which make the lines or shapes in it difficult to see. □ …grainy black and white photos.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Grainy means having a rough surface or texture, or containing small bits of something. □ …the grainy tree trunk. □ Do not use a grainy mustard.
gram /græ m/ (grams ) in BRIT, also use gramme N‑COUNT A gram is a unit of weight. One thousand grams are equal to one kilogram. □ A football weighs about 400 grams.