graduating
graduating — verb
1. to finish all the work for your bachelor's degree and receive that qualification
to finish all the work for your bachelor's degree and receive that qualification from a university or college.
Hiro graduated from Oxford with a degree in chemistry last June.
graduate from + university + with + degree
Camila plans to graduate next spring and start work at a hospital in Lima.
graduate + next + time-period for future plans
Only about half of the students in that program actually graduate within four years.
After Anjali graduated in computer science, she joined a small startup in Bangalore.
- complete one's degree
more formal phrasing used on transcripts and CVs
- drop out
leave the program before finishing
文法句型
graduate + from + university
graduate + in + subject
用法筆記
Subject is the student who finishes the degree. In American English, you can also say 'graduate college' without a preposition; British English keeps 'graduate from'.
常見錯誤
2. to reach the end of your studies at a high school, university, or other learning
to reach the end of your studies at a high school, university, or other learning institution and receive a formal certificate marking that achievement.
Theo graduated from his high school in Dublin and then took a year off to travel.
graduate from + high school
Tunde graduated last Friday and his whole family flew in from Lagos for the ceremony.
common past-tense usage with family/ceremony context
She wants to graduate community college before applying to a four-year university.
Kemi will graduate from culinary school next month and open a small bakery.
- finish school
informal everyday phrasing
- drop out
stop attending before finishing
文法句型
graduate + from + school
graduate + school (US)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense covers any level of school (high school, trade school), not only a university bachelor's degree. Common phrase 'graduating class' refers to the group finishing together.
常見錯誤
3. to progress from a simpler stage, role, or version to a more advanced or importa
to progress from a simpler stage, role, or version to a more advanced or important one, often as a sign of growth.
Aoi started as an unpaid intern and slowly graduated to running her own design team.
graduate to + higher role (career progression)
Many children graduate from picture books to short chapter novels around the age of seven.
graduate from X to Y for skill progression
Once Diego could handle the small jumps, his coach let him graduate to the larger horses.
The band quickly graduated from tiny pubs to playing huge outdoor festivals.
- progress to
more neutral, less suggestive of achievement
- move up to
informal alternative
- regress
go back to an earlier stage
文法句型
graduate + from + X + to + Y
用法筆記
Frequently uses the pattern 'graduate from X to Y' to mark a clear step up. Distinguish from sense 1 and 2: no academic institution is involved; the progression is metaphorical.
常見錯誤
4. if a school or university graduates a student, it officially gives them a degree
if a school or university graduates a student, it officially gives them a degree, diploma, or other formal qualification.
The medical school in Cape Town graduates about two hundred new doctors every year.
institution as subject + graduate + people
Saira was graduated from the academy with the highest honors in her class.
passive: be graduated from + institution
Few small colleges can claim to have graduated as many famous scientists as this one.
The training program graduated its first class of nurses in 1998.
- confer a degree on
very formal, used in ceremonies and official documents
文法句型
institution + graduate + person
用法筆記
Subject must be an institution (school, university, program), not a person. This reverses the more common pattern in senses 1-2 where the student is the subject.
常見錯誤
graduating — noun
1. someone who has earned a bachelor's-level qualification by completing university
someone who has earned a bachelor's-level qualification by completing university study.
Most of the new staff are graduates from local universities in São Paulo.
graduate from + named place (origin)
As a fresh graduate, Kabir found it hard to compete with people who had years of experience.
common phrase: fresh graduate
The company hires about forty graduates every summer for its training scheme.
Mei is a graduate in economics and works for a small bank in Taipei.
- degree holder
more formal; common in official documents
- undergraduate
still studying for the degree
文法句型
a graduate of + institution
a graduate in + subject
用法筆記
Often paired with 'fresh' or 'recent' to mean someone who has just finished. In job postings, 'graduate program' refers to a training scheme designed for new degree holders.
常見錯誤
2. someone who has finished a particular course of study at a school of any level a
someone who has finished a particular course of study at a school of any level and received an official certificate.
As a high school graduate, Tunde was the first in his family to wear a cap and gown.
[school level] + graduate (compound noun)
Most graduates of the cooking academy find restaurant jobs within three months.
graduates of + institution (plural)
The training school holds a small party for its graduates every December.
Putri proudly framed her certificate as a graduate of the nursing program.
- alumnus
more formal; specifically a male former student (alumna for female)
- dropout
someone who left before finishing
文法句型
a [school type] graduate
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by checking the level: this sense covers any educational program (high school, trade school), not only a bachelor's degree.
常見錯誤
3. a glass or plastic container with marks on the side that show different amounts,
a glass or plastic container with marks on the side that show different amounts, used in labs to measure liquid.
The lab technician poured exactly fifty milliliters of acid into the graduate before adding water.
lab equipment context with specific measurement
Every chemistry student in the room kept a clean graduate next to the burner.
graduate as countable lab tool
Lin reached for the tall graduate on the back shelf to measure the dye solution.
The teacher asked Wei to read the level on the graduate at eye height to avoid mistakes.
- graduated cylinder
more explicit; common in school chemistry classes
- measuring cylinder
everyday British English alternative
文法句型
a graduate of + capacity
用法筆記
Mostly used in chemistry and pharmacy contexts; in everyday English people say 'measuring cup' or 'measuring cylinder' instead. Distinguish from senses 1-2: this has nothing to do with education.
graduating — adjective
1. describing studies or students at a level above a first university degree, such
describing studies or students at a level above a first university degree, such as a master's or doctorate.
Roya enrolled in a graduate program in psychology at Stanford last September.
graduate + program (most common collocation)
The library has a quiet study area set aside only for graduate students.
graduate + student (attributive use)
Folake is doing graduate work in marine biology at a university in Sydney.
Most graduate schools in the country require strong test scores and letters from professors.
- postgraduate
British English equivalent
- undergraduate
studies for the first degree
文法句型
graduate + noun (program/student/school)
用法筆記
American English uses 'graduate' where British English usually says 'postgraduate'. Only used before a noun (attributive); you cannot say '*the student is graduate'.
常見錯誤
2. describing a person who already holds a university degree or formal qualificatio
describing a person who already holds a university degree or formal qualification, usually mentioned to show professional standing.
The clinic only employs graduate nurses with at least two years of experience.
graduate + profession (qualified professional)
Mateo applied for a graduate engineer position at a small firm in Buenos Aires.
graduate + job title
Every graduate teacher in the district must complete a year of supervised practice.
The hospital is famous for training new graduate doctors before they specialise.
- qualified
more general; covers training that is not always a degree
- trainee
still learning the job, not yet qualified
文法句型
graduate + noun (professional)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this describes a person already holding a degree; sense 1 describes the level of studies being done. Always attributive (before a noun).