What does "make the grade" mean?

To prove satisfactory; to be successful or worthy of merit.

What is a synonym for "make the grade"?

Common synonyms include: answer, arrive, avail, be able, be equal to, be up to.

Make the grade

verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1
To prove satisfactory; to be successful or worthy of merit. idiomatic
"Near-synonym: fit the bill"

Synonyms

All synonyms

answer arrive avail be able be equal to be up to

Example

More examples

"In 1916 the famed Van Sweringen brothers bought their first railroad—the Nickel Plate. . . . This year, as usual, the tarnished Nickel Plate cannot make the grade. In first seven months it lost $2,003,779."

Etymology

Probably from a railway train climbing a length of track sloping uphill (a grade).

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