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• third class
  third class

  noun

  the class, grade, or rank immediately below the second.
• third-class
  third-class

  adjective

  of the lowest or poorest class or quality; inferior.

third class

¹ American  

noun

1. the class, grade, or rank immediately below the second.

2. the least costly class of accommodations on trains, in hotels, etc.

3. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of merchandise weighing up to 16 ounces, and written or printed material, as books, manuscripts, or circulars, not sealed against postal inspection.

4. the lowest of three honors degrees conferred by a British university.

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third-class ² American  

[thurd-klas, -klahs] / ˈθɜrdˈklæs, -ˈklɑs /

adjective

1. of the lowest or poorest class or quality; inferior.

2. least costly and luxurious.

   a third-class coach.

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adverb

1. by third-class mail or passenger accommodations.

   to travel third-class.

third class British  

noun

1. the class or grade next in value, quality, etc, to the second

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adjective

1. of the class or grade next in value, quality, etc, to the second

2. of or denoting the class of accommodation in a hotel, on a ship, etc, next in quality and price to the second: usually the cheapest

3. (in the US and Canada) of or relating to a class of mail consisting largely of unsealed printed matter

4. See third

adverb

1. by third-class mail, transport, etc

Etymology

Origin of third class¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Origin of third-class²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

“Some people had it ranked as the third class in the country and I think it’s showing,” Oats said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2022

He says balancing school and work saw him score a third class honours in law.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2022

And Project Number One returns, with its third class, this time with the stylist and costume designer Hahnji Jang and the lighting designer Kate McGee.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2022

Discharged as a petty officer third class in 1946, he enrolled at Washington and Lee University, where he received a degree in engineering.

From Washington Post • May 26, 2021

By the third class I had learned to tell time.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince