first-class

[furst-klas, -klahs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR first-class ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of the highest or best class or quality: a first-class movie.

best-equipped and most expensive: a first-class railroad car.

given or entitled to preferred treatment, handling, etc.: first-class mail.

adverb

by first-class conveyance: to travel first-class.

Origin of first-class

First recorded in 1780–90

first class

noun

the best, finest, or highest class, grade, or rank.

the most expensive and most luxurious class of accommodation on trains, ships, airplanes, etc.

(in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of letters, postal cards, or the like, together with all mailable matter sealed against inspection.

British University. the group receiving the highest distinction in an honors course.

Origin of first class

First recorded in 1740–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for first-class

excellent, exclusive, first-rate, prime, shipshape, superior, top-drawer, top-notch, finest, five-star

Examples from the Web for first-class

Contemporary Examples of first-class

There was a first-class lounge with a sunken well and cocktail bar.
The Sexy Dream of the 747
Clive Irving
October 26, 2014
I got a first-class ticket to New York, which I was into already.
'The Knick' Star Eve Hewson on Being Bono's Daughter and Injecting Cocaine Into Clive Owen's Penis
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2014
He purchased two first-class tickets on the France, a luxury liner passage to England, for his new girlfriend and himself.
The Climax of ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’
Robert Hofler
May 14, 2014
But irregular Ukrainian troops armed with first-class rifles, mortars, and explosive devices would do Russian troops great damage.
Obama Must Show He’ll Use Military Means to Deter Russia in Ukraine
Leslie H. Gelb
March 30, 2014
A lot of girls become models because there is the alluring, if distant, promise of first-class, all-designer everything.
The Price of ‘Free’: Models Moonlighting as Escorts
Anonymous
March 15, 2014

Historical Examples of first-class

But for first-class highwaymen yarns, this other edition is the best.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
A first-class ticket he took, and a first-class compartment he entered.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
If it gets broken, send it to none but a first-class machinist for repairs.
Harper's Young People, June 22, 1880
Various
By trade he was a wood-carver, and a first-class hand at his job.
Adventures and Recollections
Bill o'th' Hoylus End
The canon responded with some restraint and then stepped into a first-class carriage.
The Christian
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for first-class

first class

noun

the class or grade of the best or highest value, quality, etc

adjective (first-class when prenominal)

of the best or highest class or gradea first-class citizen

excellent; first-rate

of or denoting the most comfortable and expensive class of accommodation in a hotel, aircraft, train, etc

(in Britain) of or relating to mail that is processed most quickly
(in the US and Canada) of or relating to mail that consists mainly of written letters, cards, etc

education See first (def. 10)

adverb first-class

by first-class mail, means of transportation, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012