degree meaning and definition

DEGREE noun

Definition of degree (noun)

1. a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
   • "a moderate grade of intelligence"; "a high level of care is required"; "it is all a matter of degree"
   • synonyms: grade, level
2. a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process
   • "a remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social sciences?"
   • synonyms: level, point, stage
3. an award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of study
   • "he earned his degree at Princeton summa cum laude"
   • synonyms: academic degree
4. a measure for arcs and angles
   • "there are 360 degrees in a circle"
   • synonyms: arcdegree
5. the highest power of a term or variable
6. a unit of temperature on a specified scale
   • "the game was played in spite of the 40-degree temperature"
7. the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime)
   • "murder in the second degree"; "a second degree burn"