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second class
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noun
the class of travel accommodations, as on a train, that are less costly and luxurious than first class but are more costly and luxurious than third class.Compare cabin class.
(in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of newspapers and periodicals not sealed against postal inspection.
the second of three honors degrees conferred by a British university.
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Origin of second class
First recorded in 1830â40
Words nearby second class
Other definitions for second class (2 of 2)
second-class
[ sek-uhnd-klas, -klahs ]
/ ËsÉk ÉndËklĂŠs, -ËklÉs /
adjective
of a secondary class or quality.
second-rate; inferior.
adverb
by second-class mail or passenger accommodations: to travel second-class.
Origin of second-class
First recorded in 1830â40
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use second class in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for second class
second class
noun
the class or grade next in value, quality, etc, to the first
adjective
adverb
by second-class mail, transport, 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
Other Idioms and Phrases with second class
second class
Inferior; see second best.
Travel accommodations ranking below the highest or first class, as in Traveling second class on European trains is not only cheaper but gives you more contact with local people. [c. 1840]
In the United States and Canada, a category of mail consisting of periodicals and newspapers. [c. 1870]
second-class citizen. An individual regarded or treated as inferior to others in status or rights, an underprivileged person. For example, In many countries women still are considered second-class citizens. This term uses second class in the sense of âinferior.â [c. 1940]
The American HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.