class

¹

[klas, klahs]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. the period during which a group of students meets for instruction.

4. a meeting of a group of students for instruction.

5. a classroom.

6. 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.

7. a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics, and having the same social position.

   Artisans form a distinct class in some societies.

8. the system of dividing society; caste.

9. social rank, especially high rank.

10. the members of a given group in society, regarded as a single entity.

11. any division of persons or things according to rank or grade.

    Hotels were listed by class, with the most luxurious ones listed first.

12. excellence; exceptional merit.

    She's a good performer, but she lacks class.

13. Hinduism.,  any of the four social divisions, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, of Hindu society; varna.

14. Informal.,  elegance, grace, or dignity, as in dress and behavior.

    He may be a slob, but his brother has real class.

15. any of several grades of accommodations available on ships, airplanes, and the like.

    We bought tickets for first class.

16. Informal.,  the best or among the best of its kind.

    This new plane is the class of the wide-bodied airliners.

17. Biology.,  the usual major subdivision of a phylum or division in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of several orders.

18. British University.,  any of three groups into which candidates for honors degrees are divided according to merit on the basis of final examinations.

19. drafted or conscripted soldiers, or persons available for draft or conscription, all of whom were born in the same year.

20. Grammar.,  form class.

21. Ecclesiastical.,  classis.

22. (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.

23. Statistics.,  a group of measurements that fall within a specified interval.

24. Mathematics.,  a set; a collection.

25. the classes, the higher ranks of society, as distinguished from the masses.

adjective

1. Informal.,  of high quality, integrity, status, or style.

   class players on a mediocre team.

verb (used with object)

1. to place or arrange in a class; classify.

   to class justice with wisdom.

   Synonyms: rate, rank, type, categorize, group

verb (used without object)

1. to take or have a place in a particular class.

   those who class as believers.

verb phrase

1. class up,  to improve the quality, tone, or status of; add elegance, dignity, style, etc., to.

   The new carpet and curtains really class up this room.

class.

²

abbreviation

1. classic.

2. classical.

3. classification.

4. classified.

class

/ klɑːs /

noun

1. a collection or division of people or things sharing a common characteristic, attribute, quality, or property

2. a group of persons sharing a similar social position and certain economic, political, and cultural characteristics

3. (in Marxist theory) a group of persons sharing the same relationship to the means of production

4. 1. the pattern of divisions that exist within a society on the basis of rank, economic status, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      the class struggle

      class distinctions

5. 1. a group of pupils or students who are taught and study together

   2. a meeting of a group of students for tuition

6. a group of students who graduated in a specified year

   the class of '53

7. (in combination and as modifier) a grade of attainment in a university honours degree

   second-class honours

8. one of several standards of accommodation in public transport See also first class second class third class

9. 1. informal,  excellence or elegance, esp in dress, design, or behaviour

      that girl's got class

   2. ( as modifier )

      a class act

10. 1. outstanding speed and stamina in a racehorse

    2. ( as modifier )

       the class horse in the race

11. 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

12. maths logic

    1. another name for set 2

    2. a class which cannot itself be a member of other classes

13. unequalled; unparalleled

verb

1. to have or assign a place within a group, grade, or class

class

1. 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.

2. See Table at taxonomy

class

¹

1. In biology, the classification beneath a phylum and above an order. (See Linnean classification.)

class

²

1. A group of people sharing the same social, economic, or occupational status. The term class usually implies a social and economic hierarchy, in which those of higher class standing have greater status, privilege, prestige, and authority. Western societies have traditionally been divided into three classes: the upper or leisure class, the middle class (bourgeoisie), and the lower or working class. For Marxists, the significant classes are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat (see also proletariat).

Grammar Note

See collective noun.

Mammals, reptiles, and insects are classes.

Other Word Forms

• classer noun
• classable adjective
• misclass verb
• reclass verb (used with object)
• unclassable adjective
• unclassed adjective
• well-classed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of class¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier classis, plural classes, from Latin: “class, division, fleet, army”; singular class back formation from plural

Word History and Origins

Origin of class¹

C17: from Latin classis class, rank, fleet; related to Latin calāre to summon

Idioms and Phrases

see cut class.

Example Sentences

In addition, Cutler’s Tennessee drivers license was revoked for a year and he was ordered to pay a $350 fine, undergo regular and random drug screens and attend a DUI class.

From Los Angeles Times

Every day I had in office, I worked to serve working class communities like the one that I grew up in, which are too often overlooked by those in power.

From BBC

Tyson, 59, is a former undisputed heavyweight champion while Mayweather, 48, retired undefeated after 50 fights, winning multiple titles across a number of weight classes.

From BBC

A further expansion of the Rosyth yard's work is to become a third base for the next generation of nuclear-armed submarines, the Dreadnought class.

From BBC

“I got the biggest kick out of that, that Jim would even think of that. ... What a class act.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• collection 
• degree 
• department 
• division 
• family 
• grade 
• league 
• rank 
• school 
• style