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. See first
   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

Your options are priority mail and first class mail, which both ship in one to three business days, according to the USPS website.

From Popular-Science

There was a first-class lounge with a sunken well and cocktail bar.

From The Daily Beast

I got a first-class ticket to New York, which I was into already.

From The Daily Beast

He purchased two first-class tickets on the France, a luxury liner passage to England, for his new girlfriend and himself.

From The Daily Beast

But irregular Ukrainian troops armed with first-class rifles, mortars, and explosive devices would do Russian troops great damage.

From The Daily Beast

A lot of girls become models because there is the alluring, if distant, promise of first-class, all-designer everything.

From The Daily Beast

First Impressions on all subjects are strong and the power to revive them is strong—a first-class memory.

From Project Gutenberg

I travelled first-class on a pass with my father, and great was my juvenile pride.

From Project Gutenberg

According to a weekly paper not only is Constance Binney a famous screen star, but she is also a first-class ukelele player.

From Project Gutenberg

And let me tell you, Mr. Thomas Hargrew keeps first-class goods and only asks a fair profit.

From Project Gutenberg

If there's anythin' I hate to see it's a first-class gingham fittin' a woman like it was hung there to air.

From Project Gutenberg