grader
gb/ɡɹˈeɪdɚ/ us/ɡɹˈeɪdɚ/
A2
English
~ 8500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
student in a specific school grade
A student who is in a certain school grade, usually in the U.S. (for example, a third grader is in third grade).
Usage pattern:
a [number]th grader
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"a grade three student"* when using American English, where *"a third grader"* is more natural. Also, *grader* in this sense is almost always used with a number or level (e.g., *first grader*, *tenth grader*), not alone. In British English, people usually say *Year 3 pupil* or *student in Year 3*, not *third grader*.
Synonyms
student (A general word for someone who studies at a school or university; it does not show which grade they are in.)
|
pupil (Common in British English for a child at school; like 'student', it does not show the exact grade.)
Antonyms
teacher (In a school setting, the teacher is the adult who teaches the class, not a member of the grade.)
Collocations
first grader
|second grader
|third grader
|fifth grader
|eighth grader
Themes
education
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her son is a first grader and is just learning to read.
- The program is designed so that every fifth grader learns basic coding skills.
- As a tenth grader, she joined the school debate team.
- The museum offers free entry for every fourth grader in the district.
- When I was a third grader, my family moved to another city.
Learner examples
- My daughter is a second grader this year.
- I was a sixth grader when I started playing the guitar.
- Every third grader in this school has a laptop.
- He helps a first grader with reading after school.
- The game is too difficult for a first grader.
Noun
B2
entity
2
person who marks student work
A person who reads tests or papers and gives a score or grade to them.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is the grader for [test/work]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think *grader* always means a school child because of phrases like *"fifth grader"*. In education contexts, *grader* can also be the person who scores exams. Context (who is doing the work vs. who is scoring it) helps distinguish the meanings.
Synonyms
marker (Used mainly in British and academic contexts; focuses on the act of marking scripts, not on classroom teaching.)
|
examiner (More formal; often someone who designs or officially oversees exams as well as marking them.)
Antonyms
test taker (The person who sits the exam is the opposite role to the grader, who scores it.)
Collocations
exam grader
|paper grader
|essay grader
|test grader
|online grader
Themes
education
|work
Examples
- The exam board hires external graders to ensure fairness.
- Because the grader was overloaded, it took weeks to get our essays back.
- Make sure your student number is visible so the grader can identify your paper.
- The company uses an automated essay grader for practice tests.
- Each section of the standardized test is reviewed by a different grader.
Learner examples
- The grader gave my essay a high score.
- Our teacher is the only grader for this test.
- Two graders will read each exam to be fair.
- The online grader checks your answers in one minute.
- The grader wrote comments in the side of the page.
Noun
technical
B2
entity
3
road construction vehicle with blade
A big machine with a long blade that makes the ground or road flat and smooth.
Usage pattern:
a grader levels [a surface/road]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse a *grader* with other construction machines like a *bulldozer* or *excavator*. A grader is recognized by its long central blade and is mainly used for leveling, not for heavy pushing or deep digging.
Synonyms
road grader (A more specific term that clearly shows the machine is used for road work.)
Antonyms
excavator (An excavator mainly digs and removes earth, while a grader mainly levels and smooths surfaces.)
Collocations
motor grader
|road grader
|grader blade
|operate a grader
|grader operator
Themes
technology
|transport
|transportation
|work
Examples
- A motor grader smoothed the gravel before the asphalt was laid.
- Only certified operators are allowed to drive the grader on the construction site.
- The county uses a grader to maintain the dirt roads after heavy rain.
- The grader’s blade was adjusted to create a slight slope for drainage.
- They rented a grader to level the land for the new parking lot.
Learner examples
- The grader makes the road flat.
- A worker drives the grader on the new road.
- This machine is a grader; it has a long blade.
- The city uses a grader on the dirt street.
- The grader moves slowly but does heavy work.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
4
machine/person sorting items by grade
A person or a machine that separates things, like fruit or wood, into groups by size or quality.
Usage pattern:
a grader sorts [items] by [size/quality]
Common mistake:
Because *grade* often relates to school, learners may not realize that *grader* can also refer to machines and workers that sort products by quality. Context with products like fruit, eggs, or wood signals this industrial meaning.
Synonyms
sorter (A more general word for something that separates items into groups; it does not always suggest an official quality grade.)
|
classifier (More formal and technical; used especially in industrial and scientific contexts.)
Antonyms
mixer (A machine or person that combines different items together, doing the opposite of separating them by grade.)
Collocations
fruit grader
|egg grader
|lumber grader
|optical grader
|automatic grader
Themes
work
|technology
|business
Examples
- The fruit grader removes any apples that are too small or damaged.
- An automatic egg grader checks each egg for cracks and weight.
- The lumber grader stamps each board according to its strength rating.
- The factory installed a new optical grader to improve quality control.
- As a diamond grader, she must examine every stone very carefully.
Learner examples
- The machine is a fruit grader in the factory.
- A grader takes out the bad eggs.
- The lumber grader looks at each piece of wood.
- This grader sorts the tomatoes by size.
- The company bought a new grader to check quality.
Grammar
Dictionary form
grader
IPA
GB/ɡɹˈeɪdɚ/
US/ɡɹˈeɪdɚ/
Syllables & stress
grader (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (grader)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: grader
- Plural: graders
Word family
Forms
graders
noun
Core family
grade
noun A2
grading
noun
Related words
graded
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
ungraded
adjective
Advanced or less common
gradable
adjective
Expressions
first grader
1/fˈɚst ɡɹˈeɪdɚ/
fixed phrase
child in first grade at school
A child who is in the first year of primary school, usually about six or seven years old in the U.S.
Examples
- Their daughter is a first grader and has just started learning to read.
- The museum offers free entry for every first grader in the city.
- As a first grader, he was shy and spoke very quietly in class.
road grader
1/ɹˈoʊd ɡɹˈeɪdɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
vehicle that levels road surfaces
A big machine with a long blade that makes the road flat and smooth when workers build or fix a road.
Examples
- A road grader cleared the bumps before the new asphalt was laid.
- The driver parked the road grader at the edge of the construction site.
- Dust flew into the air as the road grader moved slowly along the gravel road.