Definition

1. Noun:

   • A level or position in a scale of quality, size, importance, etc.: A category or rank assigned based on a comparative evaluation.
   • A mark or score indicating the quality of a student's work: A letter (e.g., A, B, C) or number representing an assessment of academic performance.
   • A class or year in a school curriculum: A group of students who are taught together because they are at a similar stage in their education.
   • The degree of slope of a surface: The steepness of a road, hill, or other inclined surface.

2. Verb:

   • To assign a grade or rank to something: To evaluate and categorize based on quality, performance, or standard.
   • To arrange in grades or classes: To sort or organize things into a series of levels or steps.
   • To level or smooth a slope: To adjust the gradient of land or a surface.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The restaurant received a high grade for its hygiene standards. (The restaurant was ranked highly.)
  • She was disappointed with her grade on the final exam. (She was unhappy with her exam score.)
  • My son is in the fifth grade this year. (My son is part of the fifth-year class at school.)
  • The steep grade of the hill made cycling difficult. (The hill's slope was challenging.)

• Verb:

  • The teacher will grade the essays over the weekend. (The teacher will evaluate and score the essays.)
  • Apples are graded by size and quality before being sold. (Apples are sorted into categories.)
  • They had to grade the land before building could begin. (They had to level the slope of the land.)

Advanced Usage

• "To make the grade": To succeed or reach the required standard.

  • The new product must make the grade in safety tests before it can be sold. (The product must pass the tests.)

• "On the up/down grade": Improving or declining in condition, quality, or fortune.

  • After the new investment, the company's prospects are on the up grade. (The company's future is improving.)

Variants and Related Words

• Grader (n): A person or machine that grades something.

  • A third-grader (A student in the third year of school). A road grader (A machine for leveling roads).

• Gradient (n): A more technical term for the degree of slope.

  • The path has a gentle gradient. (The path has a slight slope.)

• Grading (n): The action or process of assigning grades.

  • The grading of these papers took hours. (The evaluation of the papers was time-consuming.)

Synonyms

• Noun: Rank, level, category, class, score, mark, slope, incline.
• Verb: Evaluate, assess, rank, classify, sort, level.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Grade up: To improve the quality of something, especially livestock, by breeding with a superior type.
  • The farmer worked to grade up his herd. (The farmer improved his herd through selective breeding.)

Related Idioms

• At grade: On the same level, especially referring to a road or railway crossing a path on the same plane.

  • The train tracks cross the road at grade. (The tracks and road intersect on the same level.)

• Grade inflation: The tendency to award progressively higher grades for work that would have received lower grades in the past.

  • Some universities are concerned about grade inflation. (There is worry that grades are becoming less meaningful.)

Verb

1. determine the grade of or assign a grade to
2. assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation
   • grade tests
   • score the SAT essays
   • mark homework
3. level to the right gradient
4. assign a rank or rating to
   • how would you rank these students?
   • The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide

Noun

1. a variety of cattle produced by crossbreeding with a superior breed
2. a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
   • a moderate grade of intelligence
   • a high level of care is required
   • it is all a matter of degree
3. the height of the ground on which something stands
   • the base of the tower was below grade
4. a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)
   • she made good marks in algebra
   • grade A milk
   • what was your score on your homework?
5. a degree of ablaut
6. one-hundredth of a right angle
7. the gradient of a slope or road or other surface
   • the road had a steep grade
8. a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
   • lumber of the highest grade
9. a body of students who are taught together
   • early morning classes are always sleepy