grade Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a body of students who are taught together
    course; class; form.
    • early morning classes are always sleepy
  2. noun a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
    tier; level.
    • lumber of the highest grade
  3. noun the gradient of a slope or road or other surface
    • the road had a steep grade
  4. noun one-hundredth of a right angle
    grad.
  5. noun a degree of ablaut
    gradation.
  6. noun a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)
    score; mark.
    • she made good marks in algebra
    • grade A milk
    • what was your score on your homework?
  7. noun the height of the ground on which something stands
    ground level.
    • the base of the tower was below grade
  8. noun a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
    degree; level.
    • a moderate grade of intelligence
    • a high level of care is required
    • it is all a matter of degree
  9. noun a variety of cattle produced by crossbreeding with a superior breed
  10. verb assign a rank or rating to
    range; rank; rate; place; order.
    • how would you rank these students?
    • The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
  11. verb level to the right gradient
  12. verb assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation
    score; mark.
    • grade tests
    • score the SAT essays
    • mark homework
  13. verb determine the grade of or assign a grade to

WordNet

Grade noun
Etymology
F. grade, L. gradus step, pace, grade, from gradi to step, go. Cf. Congress, Degree, Gradus.
Definitions
  1. A step or degree in any series, rank, quality, order; relative position or standing; as, grades of military rank; crimes of every grade; grades of flour.
    They also appointed and removed, at their own pleasure, teachers of every grade. Buckle.
  2. In a railroad or highway: (a) The rate of ascent or descent; gradient; deviation from a level surface to an inclined plane; -- usually stated as so many feet per mile, or as one foot rise or fall in so many of horizontal distance; as, a heavy grade; a grade of twenty feet per mile, or of 1 in 264. (b) A graded ascending, descending, or level portion of a road; a gradient.
  3. (Stock Breeding) The result of crossing a native stock with some better breed. If the crossbreed have more than three fourths of the better blood, it is called high grade.
Grade transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Graded; present participle & verbal noun Grading
Definitions
  1. To arrange in order, steps, or degrees, according to size, quality, rank, etc.
  2. To reduce to a level, or to an evenly progressive ascent, as the line of a canal or road.
  3. (Stock Breeding) To cross with some better breed; to improve the blood of.
Grade noun
Definitions
  1. A harsh scraping or cutting; a grating.
    The grade of hatchets fiercely thrown. On wigwam log, and tree, and stone. Whittier.

Webster 1913