fourth class

¹ American  

noun

1. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of merchandise weighing one pound or more, including parcel post and all first-, second-, or third-class matter weighing 8 ounces (227 grams) or more and not sealed against inspection.

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fourth-class ² American  

[fawrth-klas, -klahs, fohrth-] / ˈfɔrθˈklæs, -ˈklɑs, ˈfoʊrθ- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designated as a class next below third, as for mailing, shipping, etc.

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adverb

1. as fourth-class matter; by fourth-class mail.

   Send it fourth-class.

fourth-class British  

adjective

1. of or relating to mail that is carried at the lowest rate

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adverb

1. by fourth-class mail

Etymology

Origin of fourth class¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Origin of fourth-class¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

“I did enjoy my time in Germany,” said Monical, who was a Specialist Fourth Class, which he said was equivalent to a corporal.

From Washington Times

And we were all there in the finest hotels and all the time everything was first class and, you know, in Nebraska, we’re fourth class.

From Slate

The recruits were supposed to report in April as part of the fourth class trained at the tribe’s academy, which reopened in 2018.

From Washington Times

Check it out: there’s a nightclub car, a twisted morgue where troublesome individuals are put in suspended animation and stashed in drawers, a school car, suites for the first class, okay rooms for fourth class, and so on.

From The Verge

Faced with intense opposition, the Cal State Board of Trustees decided Wednesday to wait two years before voting on whether to require a fourth class in math, science or quantitative reasoning for acceptance into any of the 23 campuses in the nation’s largest public university system.

From Los Angeles Times