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.
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.
the period during which a group of students meets for instruction.
a meeting of a group of students for instruction.
a classroom.
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.
a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics, and having the same social position.
Artisans form a distinct class in some societies.
the system of dividing society; caste.
social rank, especially high rank.
the members of a given group in society, regarded as a single entity.
any division of persons or things according to rank or grade.
Hotels were listed by class, with the most luxurious ones listed first.
excellence; exceptional merit.
She's a good performer, but she lacks class.
Hinduism. any of the four social divisions, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, of Hindu society; varna.
Informal. elegance, grace, or dignity, as in dress and behavior.
He may be a slob, but his brother has real class.
any of several grades of accommodations available on ships, airplanes, and the like.
We bought tickets for first class.
Informal. the best or among the best of its kind.
This new plane is the class of the wide-bodied airliners.
Biology. the usual major subdivision of a phylum or division in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of several orders.
British University. any of three groups into which candidates for honors degrees are divided according to merit on the basis of final examinations.
drafted or conscripted soldiers, or persons available for draft or conscription, all of whom were born in the same year.
Grammar. form class.
Ecclesiastical. classis.
(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.
Statistics. a group of measurements that fall within a specified interval.
Mathematics. a set; a collection.
the classes, the higher ranks of society, as distinguished from the masses.
Computer Science. a programming construct that defines the attributes and methods shared by a set of objects.
classic.
classical.
classification.
classified.
a collection or division of people or things sharing a common characteristic, attribute, quality, or property
a group of persons sharing a similar social position and certain economic, political, and cultural characteristics
(in Marxist theory) a group of persons sharing the same relationship to the means of production
the pattern of divisions that exist within a society on the basis of rank, economic status, etc
( as modifier )
the class struggle
class distinctions
a group of pupils or students who are taught and study together
a meeting of a group of students for tuition
a group of students who graduated in a specified year
the class of '53
(in combination and as modifier) a grade of attainment in a university honours degree
second-class honours
one of several standards of accommodation in public transport See also first class second class third class
informal excellence or elegance, esp in dress, design, or behaviour
that girl's got class
( as modifier )
a class act
outstanding speed and stamina in a racehorse
( as modifier )
the class horse in the race
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
maths logic
another name for set 2
a class which cannot itself be a member of other classes
unequalled; unparalleled
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.
See Table at taxonomy
See collective noun.
Mammals, reptiles, and insects are classes.
First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier classis, plural classes, from Latin: “class, division, fleet, army”; singular class back formation from plural
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Premia on ADR listings can also be affected by sentiment towards emerging markets in general, shrinking when the asset class is out of favour and vice versa, The premium can also be impacted by liquidity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Parent Laura Weller said the class was a safe space to "create new things, and just not be scared of cooking and making healthy choices".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Bankers are pitching private-equity firms on a hot asset class benefiting from unrelenting demand for computing power, reports Anissa Gardizy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“What I was learning in my history class is what my video production project would be about,” said Andrea Altamirano, a Hollywood High School New Media Academy ’22 video production pathway alumna.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I think at first she said her name like that because there must have been a year or two when she shared the same first name with someone else in her class.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
“I loved having her in class. It’s a tragic loss.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
“I don’t see why we they need to be taken away when we are not in class. I don’t see why we need a total ban or to treat cellphones like the enemy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 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
“Anyway,” I said, “Ocean is my lab partner in another class. He just felt bad that Mr. Jordan was being a jerk.”
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Suzuki wagered schools would bring history classes to view “Fireflies,” a story where Something Happens, then stay to watch “Totoro” as a kind of palate cleanser.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
He recommended I take acting classes at the William Esper Studio in Manhattan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
They have data showing how different asset classes behave in different market regimes, so they wanted to find out how well an AI agent can do identifying the current macro regime.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Dozens of flights have been cancelled while schools have suspended classes across the region.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Dr. Krupp had put Chase in all of Nicole’s classes, except PE, starting with Mrs. Sprague’s homeroom.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Among the species the team hopes to learn more about is the tope shark, which is listed as critically endangered, while basking sharks are classed as endangered.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
That law obliges companies classed as EU gatekeepers—like Google—to make it easier for rivals to compete with their widely popular services from search engines to app stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
They are currently classed as being in the "amber" category on the UK list of conservation concern.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
There are currently 15 foreign-flagged vessels classed as abandoned in the Sea of Marmara, he said -- figures confirmed by the ITF.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 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
Anthony Hopkins, classing up the joint, plays Emperor Vespasian, who is preparing to die and is considering which of his two sons will succeed him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024
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
The presentations, predominantly visual, that constitute the principal content of most dreams, are generally described as hallucinatory, but the propriety of so classing them is very questionable.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 8 "Haller, Albrecht" to "Harmonium" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
