class

1 of 2

noun

ˈklas 

plural classes

often attributive

1

a

: a body of students meeting regularly to study the same subject

Several students in the class are absent today.

b

: the period during which such a body meets

c

: a course of instruction

is doing well in her algebra class

d

: a body of students or alumni whose year of graduation is the same

donated by the class of 1995

2

a

: a group sharing the same economic or social status

the working class

b

: social rank

especially : high social rank

the classes as opposed to the masses

c

: high quality : elegance

a hotel with class

3

: a group, set, or kind sharing common attributes: such as

a

: a major category in biological taxonomy ranking above the order and below the phylum or division

b

: a collection of adjacent and discrete or continuous values of a random variable

c

: a collection of elements (such as numbers or points) : set sense 21

d

: a property of a geometric curve that is equal to the number of tangents that can be drawn to it through any point not on the curve

A curve is said to be of the nth degree or order when any right line meets it in n points and of the nth class when n tangents can be drawn to it through any assumed point.

—George Salmon

4

: a division or rating based on grade or quality

a class B movie

5

: the best of its kind

the class of the league

6

: a data type in object-oriented programming that consists of a group of objects (see object entry 1 sense 6a) with the same properties and behaviors and that can be arranged in a hierarchy with other such data types

class

2 of 2

verb

classed; classing; classes

transitive verb

: classify

She was classed as a part-time worker.

Synonyms

Noun

• caste
• estate
• folk
• gentry
• order
• stratum

Verb

• assort
• break down
• categorize
• classify
• codify
• compartment
• compartmentalize
• digest
• distinguish
• distribute
• grade
• group
• peg
• place
• range
• rank
• relegate
• separate
• sort
• type

Examples of class in a Sentence

Noun

There are 20 students in the class.

Several people in the class are absent today.

This class is really difficult.

He will be teaching an American history class next semester.

The college offers classes in computer programming and engineering.

She is taking a class on psychology.

What classes are you taking this semester?

I have an English class this morning.

My class got out early today.

I have already missed two classes.

Verb

I would class that suggestion as helpful, so let's make a note of it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Teaching a baseball class in the fall got the team better prepared for the spring season, enabling 11 seniors to be part of a special year. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025

Held on Saturday, May 10, on the iconic Yard—the university’s Upper Quadrangle—the ceremony honored the largest graduating class in Howard’s history, awarding more than 3,100 degrees across 14 schools and colleges. —Oumou Fofana, Essence, 12 May 2025

Verb

Fernanda had dragged herself from his bed to go to class, but only to class. —Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 4 May 2025

The Top Texas Wines website reports that last year, 105 Texan wineries received 635 top awards, classed as a gold medal or higher, at wine competitions around the world—a record for the state. —Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French classe, from Latin classis group called to military service, fleet, class; perhaps akin to Latin calare to call — more at low entry 3

First Known Use

Noun

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1642, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing class

• airman first class
• at the bottom of one's/the class
• at the top of one's/the class
• business class
• cabin class
• class act
• class action
• class-conscious
• class interval
• class reunion
• equivalence class
• evening class
• first class
• form class
• high-class
• inter-class
• leisure class
• low-class
• lower class
• master class
• middle class
• petty officer first class
• petty officer second class
• petty officer third class
• private first class
• reception class
• residue class
• second class
• second-class citizen
• sergeant first class
• social class
• the class clown
• the working class
• third class
• tourist class
• upper class
• word class
• working class
• world-class

Rhymes for class

• ass
• bass
• bras
• brass
• casse
• chasse
• crass
• das
• dass
• frass
• gas
• lass

Kids Definition

class

1 of 2 noun

ˈklas 

1

a

: a group of students meeting regularly to study the same subject

b

: the period during which such a group meets

c

: a course of instruction

d

: a group of students who graduate together

class of 1990

2

a

: a group or rank of society

the working class

b

: high social rank

c

: high quality : elegance sense 2

a hotel with class

3

a

: a group or set alike in some way

b

: a major category in biological classification that is above the order and below the phylum or division

c

: a grouping or standing (as of goods or services) based on quality

classless

-ləs

adjective

class

2 of 2 verb

: classify

Medical Definition

class

noun

ˈklas 

often attributive

: a group, set, or kind marked by common attributes or a common attribute

especially : a major category in biological taxonomy ranking above the order and below the phylum or division

the class Mammalia

Legal Definition

class

noun

: a group of persons or things having characteristics in common: as

a

: a group of persons who have some common relationship to a person making a will and are designated to receive a gift under the will but whose identities will not be determined until sometime in the future see also class gift at gift

b

: a group of securities (as stocks or bonds) having similar distinguishing features (as voting rights or priority of redemption)

c

: a group whose members are represented in a class action

d

: protected class

e

: a group of crimes forming a category distinguished by a common characteristic (as the use of violence or the requirement for a maximum penalty)

murder is a class A felony