subclass

noun

sub·class | \ ˈsəb-ˌklas

How to pronounce subclass (audio)

\

Definition of subclass

: a primary division of a class: such as

a : a category in biological classification ranking below a class and above an order

b : subset sense 1

Examples of subclass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a game prided for its movement and gunplay, an entire subclass based around having your movement frozen completely, slowed or your accuracy turned to garbage is not enjoyable. — Paul Tassi, Forbes, "‘Destiny 2’ PvP Is Still Crippled By Stasis, Five Months And Many Nerfs Later," 18 Apr. 2021 Before its placement onto the Endangered Species List in 2003, little was known about the elasmobranch, a subclass of fish comprised of sharks, rays, and skates. — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, "Record-Breaking 16-Foot-Long Sawfish Washes Ashore in the Florida Keys," 13 Apr. 2021 These cells do not go after pathogens directly, but a subclass of them seek out infected cells and destroy them. — Monique Brouillette, Scientific American, "Your Immune System Evolves To Fight Coronavirus Variants," 31 Mar. 2021 Fernet: This whole article is about Fernet Branca, which is the first and most popular of the Fernets, a subclass of amari distinguished by a mint-menthol character. — Jason O'bryan, Robb Report, "How to Make a Midnight Stinger, a Whiskey Sour Enhanced by a Bitter Italian Liqueur," 18 Mar. 2021 The new analysis is by no means a comprehensive survey of the whole subclass' diet. — Katherine Harmon, Scientific American, "Jaws of Life: High-Power Scans Reveal Teeth, Food of Ammonites," 6 Jan. 2011 In the class action lawsuit, members of the medically vulnerable subclass were part of a jail class who are over the age of 60 or who, regardless of age, experience certain underlying medical conditions. — Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, "Oakland County wins appeal in jail inmates' COVID-19 pandemic lawsuit," 10 July 2020 Parker said the medically vulnerable subclass is all members of the jail class who are over the age of 60 or who, regardless of age, experience certain underlying medical conditions. — Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, "Judge tells Oakland County sheriff to provide masks to jail inmates, may order releases," 21 May 2020 Within these two subclasses of antibodies, if test subjects have had COVID-19, their body should make COVID-19 specific antibodies of each type of antibody the test can detect. — Amanda Morris, azcentral, "Private labs see high demand for COVID-19 antibody test that detects past infections," 11 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subclass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about subclass

Dictionary Entries near subclass

subclassification

Statistics for subclass

Last Updated

29 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Subclass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subclass. Accessed 7 May. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for subclass

subclass

noun

sub·class | \ ˈsəb-ˌklas

\

Medical Definition of subclass

: a category in biological classification ranking below a class and above an order

WORD OF THE DAY

archipelago

Listen to the pronunciation of archipelago

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Star Wars Words Quiz

The bounty portion of bounty hunters (such as Boba Fett) comes from a Latin word meaning

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ