fourth class

¹ American  

noun

1. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of merchandise weighing one pound or more, including parcel post and all first-, second-, or third-class matter weighing 8 ounces (227 grams) or more and not sealed against inspection.

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fourth-class ² American  

[fawrth-klas, -klahs, fohrth-] / ˈfɔrθˈklæs, -ˈklɑs, ˈfoʊrθ- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designated as a class next below third, as for mailing, shipping, etc.

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adverb

1. as fourth-class matter; by fourth-class mail.

   Send it fourth-class.

fourth-class British  

adjective

1. of or relating to mail that is carried at the lowest rate

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adverb

1. by fourth-class mail

Etymology

Origin of fourth class¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Origin of fourth-class¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

After the climb is complete, they’re called fourth class midshipmen, not plebes.

From Seattle Times

I was like, ‘Should I do a fourth class?’

From Los Angeles Times

So consider this: What if some Specialist Fourth Class somewhere in the bowels of the U.S. intelligence community had been surfing through top-secret files and had come upon plans to either kidnap or kill Bin Laden and had posted those plans where his buddies could see them on a gamer chat room?

From Salon

What if some Specialist Fourth Class somewhere in the bowels of the U.S. intelligence community had been surfing through top-secret files and had come upon plans to either kidnap or kill Bin Laden and had posted those plans where his buddies could see them on a gamer chat room?

From Salon

“I did enjoy my time in Germany,” said Monical, who was a Specialist Fourth Class, which he said was equivalent to a corporal.

From Washington Times