first class

¹

noun

1. the best, finest, or highest class, grade, or rank.
2. the most expensive and most luxurious class of accommodation on trains, ships, airplanes, etc.
3. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of letters, postal cards, or the like, together with all mailable matter sealed against inspection.
4. British University. the group receiving the highest distinction in an honors course.

first-class

²

[ furst-klas, -klahs ]

adjective

1. of the highest or best class or quality:

   a first-class movie.

2. best-equipped and most expensive:

   a first-class railroad car.

3. given or entitled to preferred treatment, handling, etc.:

   first-class mail.

adverb

1. by first-class conveyance:

   to travel first-class.

first class

noun

1. the class or grade of the best or highest value, quality, etc

adjective

1. of the best or highest class or grade

   a first-class citizen

2. excellent; first-rate
3. of or denoting the most comfortable and expensive class of accommodation in a hotel, aircraft, train, etc
4. 1. (in Britain) of or relating to mail that is processed most quickly
   2. (in the US and Canada) of or relating to mail that consists mainly of written letters, cards, etc
5. education See first

adverb

1. by first-class mail, means of transportation, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of first class¹

First recorded in 1740–50

Origin of first class²

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

"Chris Hoy has been absolutely, as you can imagine with someone like him, outstanding, first class, brilliant with his advice," McGuinness said.

From BBC

Thompson makes first class and business class seats – the expensive kind usually at the front of passenger aircraft, with their own privacy-simulating enclosures, built-in entertainment systems, and heaps of leg room.

From BBC

“I sprinted out of a hotel room to get onto a flight and come home,” she says, recalling both her last-minute panic, and the surprise of a heavily-discounted first class ticket on an empty plane.

From BBC

As an adult, you realize more and more how money slices and dices us into First Class and Priority, the not you’s and the not yets, the zip codes and carets.

From Salon

A fireman first class, he worked next to the boilers that powered the World War I-era ship.

From Los Angeles Times