make the grade
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Coltin Stidham wanted to be a pilot, but his eyesight didn’t make the grade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
But the band’s early attempts to make the grade had fallen flat on its face.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025
Anyone wanting to join the army has to pass a tough medical – people with heart problems, back problems, hearing or vision problems, among other things, will struggle to make the grade.
From BBC • Sep. 22, 2024
The class’s first video to make the grade showed scenes from campus edited together.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2023
Each train, in order to make the grade and the blockade against it, was straining the cylinders.
From Golden Stories A Selection of the Best Fiction by the Foremost Writers by Various