What does "class" mean?
A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
Class
/klɑːs/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
- Grammar: class is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: division, category, family, sort.
- Useful contrasts: classless society, disorganize, entsi.
- Usage evidence: Class doesn't begin until eight-thirty.
How to use "class"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "class" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "class" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "class" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "class" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "class" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "division" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "class", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes. countable
"The new Ford Fiesta is set to be best in the 'small family' class."
- 2 education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings wordnet
- 3 A social grouping, based on job, wealth, etc. In Britain, society is commonly split into three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class. countable
"Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches."
- 4 elegance in dress or behavior wordnet
- 5 The division of society into classes. uncountable
"Jane Austen's works deal with class in 18th-century England."
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 people having the same social, economic, or educational status wordnet
- 7 Admirable behavior; elegance. uncountable
"Apologizing for losing your temper, even though you were badly provoked, showed real class."
- 8 a collection of things sharing a common attribute wordnet
- 9 A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher. countable, uncountable
"The class was noisy, but the teacher was able to get their attention with a story."
- 10 (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders wordnet
- 11 A series of lessons covering a single subject. countable, uncountable
"I took the cooking class for enjoyment, but I also learned a lot."
- 12 a body of students who are taught together wordnet
- 13 A single lesson in a series. countable, uncountable
"Tomorrow's class will cover long division."
- 14 a body of students who graduate together wordnet
- 15 A group of students who commenced or completed their education during a particular year. A school class. countable
"The class of 1982 was particularly noteworthy."
- 16 a league ranked by quality wordnet
- 17 a grade, standard, level of education. India, countable, uncountable
- 18 A category of seats in an airplane, train or other means of mass transportation. countable
"I used to fly business class, but now my company can only afford economy."
- 19 A rank in the classification of organisms, below phylum and above order; a taxon of that rank. countable
"Magnolias belong to the class Magnoliopsida."
- 20 Best of its kind. countable, uncountable
"It is the class of Italian bottled waters."
- 21 A grouping of data values in an interval, often used for computation of a frequency distribution. countable, uncountable
- 22 A collection of sets definable by a shared property, especially one which is not itself a set (in which case the class is called proper). countable, uncountable
"The class of all sets is not a set."
- 23 A group of people subject to be conscripted in the same military draft, or more narrowly those persons actually conscripted in a particular draft. countable, uncountable
- 24 A set of objects having the same behavior (but typically differing in state), or a template defining such a set in terms of its common properties, functions, etc. countable
"an abstract base class"
- 25 One of the sections into which a Methodist church or congregation is divided, supervised by a class leader. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To assign to a class; to classify. transitive
"I would class this with most of the other mediocre works of the period."
- 2 arrange or order by classes or categories wordnet
- 3 To be grouped or classed. intransitive
"the genus or family under which it classes"
- 4 To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes. transitive
Adjective
- 1 great; fabulous Geordie, Ireland, not-comparable, slang
"To talented authors Tim Ash and Brian Reich for introducing me to John Wiley & Sons—a truly class outfit."
Proper Noun
- 1 Abbreviation of Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor. abbreviation, alt-of
- 2 Abbreviation of Cosmology Large Angular Scale Survey. abbreviation, alt-of
Antonyms
Example
"Class doesn't begin until eight-thirty."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "class"?
Common synonyms include: division, category, family, sort, stratum, a grade.
How do you use "class" in a sentence?
Class doesn't begin until eight-thirty.
How do you pronounce "class"?
Pronounced /klɑːs/.
Etymology
From Middle French classe, from Latin classis (“a class or division of the people, assembly of people, the whole body of citizens called to arms, the army, the fleet, later a class or division in general”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, shout”). Doublet of clas and classis.