class

[ klas, klahs ]

/ klæs, klɑs /

noun

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.

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.

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

a meeting of a group of students for instruction.

a classroom.

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.

a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics, and having the same social position: Artisans form a distinct class in some societies.

the system of dividing society; caste.

social rank, especially high rank.

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

any division of persons or things according to rank or grade: Hotels were listed by class, with the most luxurious ones listed first.

excellence; exceptional merit: She's a good performer, but she lacks class.

Hinduism. any of the four social divisions, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, of Hindu society; varna. Compare caste(def 2).

Informal. elegance, grace, or dignity, as in dress and behavior: He may be a slob, but his brother has real class.

any of several grades of accommodations available on ships, airplanes, and the like: We bought tickets for first class.

Informal. the best or among the best of its kind: This new plane is the class of the wide-bodied airliners.

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

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

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

Grammar. form class.

Ecclesiastical. classis.

(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.

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

Mathematics. a set; a collection.

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

adjective

Informal. of high quality, integrity, status, or style: class players on a mediocre team.

verb (used with object)

to place or arrange in a class; classify: to class justice with wisdom.

verb (used without object)

to take or have a place in a particular class: those who class as believers.

Verb Phrases

class up, Informal. to improve the quality, tone, or status of; add elegance, dignity, style, etc., to: The new carpet and curtains really class up this room.

Origin of class

1590–1600; earlier classis, plural classes < Latin: class, division, fleet, army; singular class back formation from plural

SYNONYMS FOR class

27 group, categorize, type, rank, rate.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR class ON THESAURUS.COM

usage note for class

See collective noun.

OTHER WORDS FROM class

class·a·ble, adjective class·er, noun mis·class, verb re·class, verb (used with object)

un·class·a·ble, adjective un·classed, adjective well-classed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH class

cast caste class

Words nearby class

clasp knife, clasp-knife spasticity, clasper, claspers, clasping, class, class a drug, class act, class action, class action law suit, class b drug

Definition for classes (2 of 2)

classis

[ klas-is ]

/ ˈklæs ɪs /

noun, plural clas·ses [klas-eez] /ˈklæs iz/. (in certain Reformed churches)

the organization of pastors and elders that governs a group of local churches; a presbytery.

the group of churches governed by such an organization.

Origin of classis

1585–95; < Latin: class

Example sentences from the Web for classes

But news of the classes is spread mainly by word of mouth, and participants bring along their friends and families.

Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread |IranWire |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Many dance instructors register their classes at gyms and teach women or men (separately) under the name of aerobics.

Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread |IranWire |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The summer before classes began, she decided to take a few sets of pictures with her friends.

Masters of Alt Sex: SuicideGirls Hits Puberty and Wants to Invade Your TV Set |Marlow Stern |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He was no teacher, and he lacked the tact required in getting along with his classes.

Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor |S. C. Gwynne |November 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But she says students also have strong motivators to keep up with the classes.

She Gives the Gift of Language |Bobby Blanchard |October 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
No one of the members of these four classes is known to possess vibratile cilia.

Marvels of Pond-life |Henry J. Slack
The other two classes in this department include quite a number of our young married people.

Seven Graded Sunday Schools |Various
The college of St. Aloysius was immediately begun and opened its classes with 150 students.

The Jesuits, 1534-1921 |Thomas J. Campbell
There are five classes of teachers in the elementary schools, the lowest being the fifth.

History of Education |Levi Seeley
And not man alone, but the principal events of life, fall into classes by types.

The Human Comedy |Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for classes (1 of 2)

class

/ (klɑːs) /

noun

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

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

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

the pattern of divisions that exist within a society on the basis of rank, economic status, etc
(as modifier)the class struggle; class distinctions

a group of pupils or students who are taught and study together
a meeting of a group of students for tuition

mainly US a group of students who graduated in a specified year the class of '53

(in combination and as modifier) British a grade of attainment in a university honours degree second-class honours

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

informal excellence or elegance, esp in dress, design, or behaviourthat girl's got class
(as modifier)a class act

outstanding speed and stamina in a racehorse
(as modifier)the class horse in the race

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

maths logic

another name for set 2 (def. 3)
proper class a class which cannot itself be a member of other classes

in a class of its own or in a class by oneself unequalled; unparalleled

verb

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

Derived forms of class

classable, adjective classer, noun

Word Origin for class

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

British Dictionary definitions for classes (2 of 2)

classis

/ (ˈklæsɪs) /

noun plural classes (ˈklæsiːz) (in some Reformed Churches)

a governing body of elders or pastors

the district or group of local churches directed by such a body

Word Origin for classis

C16: from Latin; see class

Medical definitions for classes

class

[ klăs ]

n.

A taxonomic category ranking below a phylum or division and above an order.

Scientific definitions for classes

class

[ klăs ]

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. See Table at taxonomy.

Cultural definitions for classes (1 of 2)

class

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).

Cultural definitions for classes (2 of 2)

class

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

notes for class

Mammals, reptiles, and insects are classes.

Idioms and Phrases with classes

class

see cut class.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

class