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grace of God the ship came safely home through the storm. 6 [U] (in the Christian religion) the state of the soul when freed from evil: to die in a state of grace 7 fall from grace: a) to fall/a fall from a position of favour b) to fall/a fall back into bad old ways of behaving 8 in someone's good graces in someone's favour → see also GRACES, SAVING GRACES 9 there but for the grace of God go I a phrase used when you see someone else in a difficult or unfortunate situation, and feel lucky that you are not in that situation
grace² v [T] fml or humor 1 [(with, by) usually pass.] to give honour or favour to: We're flattered that you were able to grace us with/by your presence. (=said formally to an important guest, or humorously to someone arriving late) 2 to decorate or make beautiful; ADORN: The photo of him meeting the Queen graces his mantelpiece.
Grace n You/Her/His Grace a title used when you are speaking to or about a DUKE, a DUCHESS, or an ARCHBISHOP: Good morning, Your Grace. | Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Bedford.
Grace, Princess → see Grace KELLY
Grace, W.G. (1848–1915) an English CRICKETER who is regarded as the greatest player of the 19th century. He was a very tall, large man with a long thick BEARD.
grace·ful /'greɪsfəl/ adj 1 attractively and usually effortlessly fine and smooth; full of grace: a graceful dancer | her graceful movements 2 showing a willingness to behave fairly and honourably: a graceful apology → see GRACIOUS (USAGE) —ly adv —ness n [U]
Grace·land /'greɪslænd/ the home of Elvis PRESLEY in Memphis, Tennessee in the US, which many tourists visit
grace·less /'greɪsləs/ adj 1 awkward in movement or form 2 lacking in good manners —ly adv —ness n [U]
Grac·es, The /'greɪsɪz/ also The Three Graces in Greek and Roman MYTHOLOGY, the three goddesses of CHARM and beauty who are often shown in art
gra·cious /'greɪʃəs/ adj 1 polite, kind, and pleasant, especially in a generous way: Busy as she was, she was gracious enough to show us round her home. 2 [A] having those qualities which are made possible by wealth, such as comfort, beauty, and freedom from hard work: All this gracious living isn't for me; I prefer the simple life. 3 [A] fml (used in speaking of a royal person): Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth 4 (of God) forgiving; MERCIFUL 5 Gracious! also Good gracious! — rather old-fash (used to show surprise) —ly adv —ness n [U]
Compare gracious and graceful. Graceful means attractive or pleasant and is used especially to describe bodily movements or form: a graceful dancer | a deer running gracefully through the forest. Graceful can also be used of people's manners, especially when they are saying they are sorry for something, or accepting defeat: He admitted gracefully that he was wrong. | The losing candidate accepted the result of the election gracefully. Gracious is usually used of people's manners and suggests an important person being polite to someone less important: The Queen thanked them graciously.
grad /græd/ n infml a GRADUATE: a reunion of old grads
gra·da·tion /grə'deɪʃən/ n [(in, of)] fml a stage in a set of changes or degrees of development: There are many gradations in/of colour between light blue and dark blue. → compare GRADUATION
grade¹ /greɪd/ n 1 a particular level of rank or quality: He's not in the first grade as a musician. | low-grade apples | weapons-grade plutonium (=of a quality suitable for using in weapons) | This grade of wool can be sold at a lower price. 2 (in the US school system) a particular year of a school course: She's in the second/eighth grade. | He had a fifth-grade education. (=left school after completing the fifth grade) → compare FORM¹ and YEAR; see also EDUCATION and Feature on page A13
CULTURAL NOTE In the US, children begin school in KINDERGARTEN, usually at age five. At age six, they enter first grade. The first years of school take place at an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, and then children go to a JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL or MIDDLE SCHOOL for several years, before going to HIGH SCHOOL for the last few years. There are twelve grades in the US school system. Children in a particular grade are often called first graders, second graders, eighth graders etc. The expression 'K-12' is sometimes used to talk about the US school system, meaning all the grades from kindergarten to grade 12.
3 especially AmE a mark for the standard of a piece of schoolwork or of the schoolwork for all or part of the year: She got good grades last semester. 4 especially AmE a degree of slope, especially in a road or railway 5 make the grade to succeed; reach the necessary standard: I don't think she'll make the grade as a fashion model.
grade² v [T] to separate into levels of rank or quality: These potatoes have been graded according to size and quality.
—gradable adj: 'Rich' is a gradable adjective but 'nuclear' is not.
Grade, Lew /lu:/ (1906–98) an important businessman in British television and films. In the 1950s he became CHAIRMAN of the COMMERCIAL TV company Associated Television, which produced successful programmes including The Saint, Emergency Ward 10, Crossroads, the Muppet Show, and Jesus of Nazareth. He later produced films and became Lord Grade in 1976.
'grade ,crossing n AmE for LEVEL CROSSING
,grade point 'average abbrev. GPA n (in the US) the average of a student's marks (GRADES) over a period of time. Each grade is given a number (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0) and an average is calculated. A 4.0 (pronounced 'four-point-O') is the highest possible grade point average. Often these numbers are used to decide whether a HIGH SCHOOL student will be accepted into a particular college or university. → see Feature on page A12
'grade ,school n AmE old-fash for ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Grad·grind, Mr /'grædgraɪnd/ one of the main characters in the book HARD TIMES by Charles DICKENS. Gradgrind is only concerned with facts, and does not consider the importance of love or imagination, especially when educating and caring for his children.
gra·di·ent /'greɪdɪənt/ also grade AmE — n a degree of slope, especially in a road or railway: A gradient of 1 in 4 is a rise or fall of one metre for every four metres forward.
'grad ,school n a GRADUATE SCHOOL
grad·u·al /'grædʒuəl/ adj happening or developing slowly and by degrees; not sudden: a gradual slope | a gradual phasing-out of the old equipment —ly adv —ness n [U]
grad·u·ate¹ /'grædʒuɪt/ n 1 a person who has completed a university degree course, especially for a first degree → compare UNDERGRADUATE 2 AmE a person who has completed a course at a college, school etc: a high school graduate
graduate² n, adj AmE for POSTGRADUATE: graduate school | a graduate student
grad·u·ate³ /'grædʒueɪt/ v 1 [I(from)] to obtain a degree, especially a first degree, at a university: She graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree in physics. 2 [I(from)] AmE to complete an educational course: He graduated from high school last year. 3 [T] to divide into levels or GRADES: The salary scale is graduated, so I will get an annual increase. 4 [T] tech to make marks showing degrees of measurement on: a graduated ruler → see Feature on page A13
,graduated 'pension scheme n a British government PENSION SCHEME in addition to the OLD AGE PENSION. Employed people make payments according to their earnings and employers pay a similar sum.
'graduate ,school also grad school n AmE a college or university where one can study for a MASTER'S or DOCTORATE degree having already obtained a BACHELOR'S DEGREE
grad·u·a·tion /ˌgrædʒu'eɪʃən/ n 1 [U] (a ceremony for) the receiving of a first university degree or an American school DIPLOMA → see Feature on page A13 2 [C] a mark showing a measure of degree, especially on a SCALE → compare GRADATION
Grae·co- /ˌgri:kəʊ, 'grekəʊ/ prefix another spelling of GRECO
Graf, Stef·fi /græf, 'stefi/ (1969–) a German TENNIS player