From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsecond classˌsecond ˈclass noun [uncountable] 1 TTa way of travelling on a ship or train that is cheaper and less comfortable than first class2 TCMa way of delivering letters etc in Britain that is cheaper and slower than first class3 TCMthe system in the US for delivering newspapers, magazines, advertisements etc through the post
Examples from the Corpus
second class• One corporation elected to be an S corporation at a time when it had a second class of stock.• He was educated at Winchester and Trinity College, Oxford, where he obtained a second class in modern history in 1911.• He changed into his civilian clothes a holiday in itself-and boarded a passenger liner to the Foundation, second class.• One day I changed from second class to high class.• It mattered less what the company clerks and rubber plantation foremen in second class might feel.• Within this second class, there are two subtypes.• He dropped to second class in the examinations of June 1788, and after that was unplaced.• Competition is keen and candidates must offer a minimum of an upper second class honours degree together with evidence of satisfactory financial arrangements.second-classˌsecond-ˈclass adjective [only before noun] 1 peopleUNIMPORTANT considered to be less important and less valuable than other people Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens?2 lower standard of a lower standard or quality than the best We will not accept a second-class education for our children.3 → second-class ticket/fare/compartment/cabin etc4 → second-class mail/post/stamp etc5 university degree used to describe a university degree in Britain that is good, but not the highest level a second-class honours degree → first class(3) —second class adverb He was travelling second class.Examples from the Corpus
second-class• They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.• She took her finals in 1900 and was awarded second-class honours in the university examination for women.• Somewhere south of York, Hubert was alone in a second-class non-smoking compartment.• It is a fitting reminder of the isolation and second-class status of these efforts.• Enraged and impelled by her second-class status, she became one of the first literary feminists.• I would not want to return women to the second-class status they are only now escaping.• In many places, women seemed beaten down and resigned to their second-class status.second-class citizens• Private car-owners have become second-class citizens.• Some speak resentfully of a takeover by the Wessis, with themselves marked out for the role of second-class citizens.• There were those who, almost despite themselves, equated refugees with second-class citizens.• They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.• We did not have a chance to mingle with Okinawansthey were considered second-class citizens.• Women were very definitely second-class citizens.• But they remained second-class citizens as the Service restocked itself with young men of the right background from Oxford and Cambridge.• Here we are, second-class citizens in our own country.From Longman Business Dictionarysecond-classˈsecond-class adjective [only before a noun]1second-class mail is cheaper to send than FIRST-CLASS mail because it takes slightly longer to be deliveredWe aim to deliver 96% of second-class letters by the third working day after collection.a second-class stamp2TRAVELsecond-class travel, fares etc are cheaper than FIRST-CLASS ones because they do not offer such a comfortable journeya second-class ticket —second class adverbOnly copy documents should be sent second class.Passengers travelling second class can buy two sleeper tickets for the price of one. 