To graduate means to complete a course of study and receive a diploma or degree. When students graduate from elementary school, they've finished all their fifth-grade (or sixth-grade) work and are ready to move on to middle school. High school students graduate after completing twelfth grade, often celebrating with a ceremony where they wear caps and gowns and receive their diplomas.

Graduating means you've climbed all the steps of one level of education and you're ready for the next one. You can graduate from college, graduate school, or even specialized programs like a police academy or flight school.

Graduate can also be used as a noun to describe someone who has completed their studies. A college graduate is someone who has earned their degree. When someone asks, “Where did you graduate from?”, they're asking which school you completed.

In a completely different sense, graduate can mean to move up to something more advanced or challenging. A beginning piano student might graduate from simple songs to more complex pieces. Scientists use graduated cylinders in labs, measuring tubes marked with lines that increase step by step, helping them measure liquids precisely.