1. Evaluation of performance by assigning a grade or score
   "what he disliked about teaching was all the grading he had to do";
   - marking, scoring
    
2. The act of arranging in a graduated series
   "Grading the essays took several hours";
   - scaling
    
3. Changing the ground level to a smooth horizontal or gently sloping surface
   "The construction crew began grading the site for the new building";
   - leveling [US], levelling [Brit, Cdn]

1. Assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation
   "grade tests";
   - score, mark
    
2. Determine the grade of or assign a grade to
   "The teacher graded the exams over the weekend"
    
3. Assign a rank or rating to
   "The restaurant is graded highly in the food guide";
   - rate, rank, range, place
    
4. Level to the right gradient
   "The construction crew graded the road before paving it"

Derived forms: gradings

Type of: appraise, apprise [Brit, archaic], apprize [archaic], assess, assort, building, class, classify, construction, evaluate, evaluation, even, even out, flush, judge, level, measure, order, ordering, pass judgment, rating, scope, separate, sort, sort out, valuate [N. Amer], value

Encyclopedia: Grading