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• class
  class

  noun

  a number of persons or things regarded as forming a group by reason of common attributes, characteristics, qualities, or traits; kind; sort.
• class.
  class.

  abbreviation

  classic.

class

¹ American  

[klas, klahs] / klæs, klɑs /

noun

• classes
  plural

1. a number of persons or things regarded as forming a group by reason of common attributes, characteristics, qualities, or traits; kind; sort.

   a class of objects used in daily living.

2. a group of students meeting regularly to study a subject under the guidance of a teacher.

   The class had arrived on time for the lecture.

3. the period during which a group of students meets for instruction.

4. a meeting of a group of students for instruction.

5. a classroom.

6. a number of pupils in a school, or of students in a college, pursuing the same studies, ranked together, or graduated in the same year.

   She graduated from Ohio State, class of '72.

7. a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics, and having the same social position.

   Artisans form a distinct class in some societies.

8. the system of dividing society; caste.

9. social rank, especially high rank.

10. the members of a given group in society, regarded as a single entity.

11. any division of persons or things according to rank or grade.

    Hotels were listed by class, with the most luxurious ones listed first.

12. excellence; exceptional merit.

    She's a good performer, but she lacks class.

13. Hinduism. any of the four social divisions, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, of Hindu society; varna.

14. Informal. elegance, grace, or dignity, as in dress and behavior.

    He may be a slob, but his brother has real class.

15. any of several grades of accommodations available on ships, airplanes, and the like.

    We bought tickets for first class.

16. Informal. the best or among the best of its kind.

    This new plane is the class of the wide-bodied airliners.

17. Biology. the usual major subdivision of a phylum or division in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of several orders.

18. British University. any of three groups into which candidates for honors degrees are divided according to merit on the basis of final examinations.

19. drafted or conscripted soldiers, or persons available for draft or conscription, all of whom were born in the same year.

20. Grammar. form class.

21. Ecclesiastical. classis.

22. (in early Methodism) one of several small companies, each composed of about 12 members under a leader, into which each society or congregation was divided.

23. Statistics. a group of measurements that fall within a specified interval.

24. Mathematics. a set; a collection.

25. the classes, the higher ranks of society, as distinguished from the masses.

26. Computer Science. a programming construct that defines the attributes and methods shared by a set of objects.

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adjective

1. Informal. of high quality, integrity, status, or style.

   class players on a mediocre team.

verb (used with object)

• classes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• classed,
  past participle,  past
• classing
  present participle

1. to place or arrange in a class; classify.

   to class justice with wisdom.

   Synonyms:

   rate, rank, type, categorize, group

verb (used without object)

• classes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• classed,
  past participle,  past
• classing
  present participle

1. to take or have a place in a particular class.

   those who class as believers.

verb phrase

1. class up to improve the quality, tone, or status of; add elegance, dignity, style, etc., to.

   The new carpet and curtains really class up this room.

class. ² American  

abbreviation

1. classic.

2. classical.

3. classification.

4. classified.

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class British  

/ klɑːs /

noun

1. a collection or division of people or things sharing a common characteristic, attribute, quality, or property

2. a group of persons sharing a similar social position and certain economic, political, and cultural characteristics

3. (in Marxist theory) a group of persons sharing the same relationship to the means of production

4. 1. the pattern of divisions that exist within a society on the basis of rank, economic status, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      the class struggle

      class distinctions

5. 1. a group of pupils or students who are taught and study together

   2. a meeting of a group of students for tuition

6. a group of students who graduated in a specified year

   the class of '53

7. (in combination and as modifier) a grade of attainment in a university honours degree

   second-class honours

8. one of several standards of accommodation in public transport See also first class second class third class

9. 1. informal excellence or elegance, esp in dress, design, or behaviour

      that girl's got class

   2. ( as modifier )

      a class act

10. 1. outstanding speed and stamina in a racehorse

    2. ( as modifier )

       the class horse in the race

11. biology any of the taxonomic groups into which a phylum is divided and which contains one or more orders. Amphibia, Reptilia, and Mammalia are three classes of phylum Chordata

12. maths logic

    1. another name for set 2

    2. a class which cannot itself be a member of other classes

13. unequalled; unparalleled

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verb

1. to have or assign a place within a group, grade, or class

class Scientific  

/ klăs /

1. A taxonomic category of organisms ranking above an order and below a phylum or division. In modern taxonomic schemes, the names of classes end in –phyceae for the various groups of algae, –mycetes for fungi, and –opsida for plants (as in Liliopsida, the class of plants also termed monocotyledons). The names of classes belonging to phyla of the animal kingdom, however, are formed in various ways, as Osteichthyes the bony fishes, Aves, the birds, and Mammalia, the mammals, all of which are classes belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata (the vertebrates) in the phylum Chordata.

2. See Table at taxonomy

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class ¹ Cultural  

1. In biology, the classification beneath a phylum and above an order. (See Linnean classification.)

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class ² Cultural  

1. A group of people sharing the same social, economic, or occupational status. The term class usually implies a social and economic hierarchy, in which those of higher class standing have greater status, privilege, prestige, and authority. Western societies have traditionally been divided into three classes: the upper or leisure class, the middle class (bourgeoisie), and the lower or working class. For Marxists, the significant classes are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat (see also proletariat).

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class Idioms  

1. see cut class.

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Discover More

Mammals, reptiles, and insects are classes.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• classer
  noun
• misclass
  verb
• reclass
  verb (used with object)
• classable
  adjective
• unclassable
  adjective
• unclassed
  adjective
• well-classed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• classes
  plural

Participles

• classing
  present
• classed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• class
  simple
• classes
  simple
• have classed
  perfect
• has classed
  perfect
• am classing
  progressive
• are classing
  progressive
• is classing
  progressive
• have been classing
  perfect progressive
• has been classing
  perfect progressive

Past

• classed
  simple
• had classed
  perfect
• was classing
  progressive
• were classing
  progressive
• had been classing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will class
  simple
• will have classed
  perfect
• will be classing
  progressive
• will have been classing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of class

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier classis, plural classes, from Latin: “class, division, fleet, army”; singular class back formation from plural

Explanation

If you attend school, you probably have a favorite class — a series of lectures or discussions where you can learn about a particular subject, like English, math, or economics. The characteristic of being high quality or displaying elegance is also called class. Your snobby friend might glance around your favorite diner and say, "Let's go somewhere else. This place has no class." In society, class refers to a ranking system based on socio-economics, birth, education level, or a combination of those things. Your ancestors might have been working class, until your grandfather struck it rich.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

class class. classes classed classing

She told clients the asset class remains “stubbornly under the radar,” with those “stealth-strength” stocks fighting for attention.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

After enrolling in what he assumed would be an easy acting class during his senior year of high school, Zucker became obsessed with improv and comedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

At one point, Middleton told Dombrowski to remind Fuld that he could take it a little easier in class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

The class action lawsuit has been brought on behalf of millions of streamers who use Twitch, alleging its parent company Amazon used their videos to train AI without their permission or proper compensation.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

She told me she heard from another mom that there was a new girl in my class.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

“It wasn’t even his class. He just happened to be there,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

“The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class. ... You deserve what you’ve earned, and you’ve earned a hell of a lot more than you’re getting paid now.”

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

"That compares with the between 46-49% of British people, who identify as working class. So, almost half of the population," Graham said.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024

“It’s all critical thinking in my class. Engaging, debates, things like that,” he said.

From Slate ● May 30, 2024

“I don’t want you to be afraid to fail or succeed in my class. Does that make sense?”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Some are investing in classes designed for wine professionals, with the hope that their education might open career doors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

A native Angeleno, she started taking classes at Swordplay LA and soon became a nationally-ranked fencing youth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

It reports patients were given classes on how to deliver a baby on the side of the motorway, as the nearest maternity ward is nearly two hours away in Exeter.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Instead, when I didn’t complete the tutorial, the algorithm canceled my classes.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

In study hall Kumu Whitman lets us sit wherever we like, and if we want to work on homework from other classes, he’s fine with that.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

According to the UK government, almost all reservoirs in England and Wales are officially classed as having water levels below normal or low.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

By that point he was officially classed by the NHS as "overdue" for vaccination; effectively, he was on his GP's naughty list.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Levels are lowest in the South West, with Wimbleball and Blagdon classed as exceptionally low.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

NRW announced last week that north and south-east Wales were moving to "prolonged dry weather" status - classed as a first step towards drought.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Reductio ad absurdum, by this token, would be classed as a figure of thought, whereas isocolon—a sequence of phrases the same length—or alliteration would be figures of speech.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Until two years ago, she was juggling evening acting classing and auditions with a steady office day job.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2023

Defence barrister David Emanuel QC said classing the deceit as rape was "taking it too far".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2020

Even though they're a sturdy, workman's shoe, they have a knack for quickly classing up any golf outfit, pairing just as well with casual shorts as they do with high-end trousers.

From Golf Digest ● Sep. 12, 2017

Dave Chappelle comes out wearing sunglasses to kick off the Prince tribute, classing up the joint for a second.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 27, 2016

Queen Caroline was provoked into classing him and Bolingbroke, as “the two most worthless men of parts in the country.”

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various

Related Words

• collection
• degree
• department
• division
• family
• grade
• league
• rank
• school
• style