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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

From Virginia to north Florida and west to Texas, tens of millions of denuded acres were planted with rows of pine, restoring the region’s canopy and creating a new asset class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

In most cases involving young riders, the department refers offenders to an e-bike safety class instead of issuing a citation, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Contrary to what you learned in civics class, the grease that keeps the wheels of American democracy turning isn’t voters, legislation, or donor cash; it’s staffers.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

The researchers found that one possible class of early black hole seeds, remnants left behind by supermassive Dark Stars, could potentially provide a dominant contribution to the PTA signal.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

I had language class Friday evenings, one powwow in the summer, and whatever community my parents cobbled together.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

“Go to Goodwill.org, and you can sign up for the Google AI Essentials class. Or AI Prompting Essentials. You get a certificate and could show that to an employer,” Mr. Preston says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

"It betrays your class. It betrays your origin. All over the world people are trying to reclaim accents and dialects that have been lost."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025

“We have elderly people at the Y. We’re really a mixed group. But he’s in a barbell class. It’s a strenuous workout. … He’s a standout guy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025

"These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2024

“Was just...practicing a monologue for a class. I’m fine.”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Although there will be no regular classes, Kunz said the school will remain open for all students who wish to come.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

See: I plan to leave money to grandkids — but they must pass financial-literacy classes to get it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

The book’s first section is told in through Eddy’s journal entries as he describes the contentious rehearsals that bring together a group of closeted Kingstonians of different ages, classes and levels of sexual candor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

After taking up comedy classes and street performances on the East Coast, Zucker quickly transitioned to working in theater and eventually moved to L.A. at 18 to pursue comedy, interning at Upright Citizens Brigade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

During the school day, I do my best to stay quiet and as invisible as possible in all my classes, except for science.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The water quality of a Berkshire chalk stream - named by Thames Water as part of a "flagship chalk stream restoration project" - has been classed as "poor" by the Environment Agency.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Reservoir levels have also continued to decline, with almost all across England below normal and five classed as "exceptionally low", according to the agency.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Reservoir levels have continued to fall, with almost all across England below normal and five classed as 'exceptionally low', according to the EA.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Australian authorities say that greyhounds arriving from New Zealand are classed as "companion animals" which will undergo screening for diseases such as rabies.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

As mentioned above, they are built on a basis of carbon atoms, which are also the indispensable building blocks of the living world, and thus classed as “organic.”

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Only if you’re interested in classing up the Basketball Hall’s Class of ’19.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2018

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

From an aesthetic perspective, classing up an e-commerce operation can be a surprisingly difficult affair.

From Slate ● Nov. 16, 2015

“One has no hesitation in classing The Squirrel Cage with the best American fiction of this or any season.”

From Village Life in America 1852-1872 Including the period of the American Civil War as told in the diary of a school-girl by Caroline Cowles Richards

Related Words

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