noun

classifications
plural

the act of classifying.
the result of classifying or being classified.
one of the groups or classes into which things may be or have been classified.
Biology. the assignment of organisms to groups within a system of categories distinguished by structure, origin, etc. The usual series of categories is phylum (or, especially in botany,division ), class, order, family, genus, species, and variety.
the category, as restricted, confidential, secret, or top secret, to which information, a document, etc., is assigned, as by a government or military agency, based on the degree of protection considered necessary to safeguard it from unauthorized use.
Library Science. any of various systems for arranging books and other materials, especially according to subject or format.

classification British

/ ˌklæsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

systematic placement in categories
one of the divisions in a system of classifying
biology
1. the placing of animals and plants in a series of increasingly specialized groups because of similarities in structure, origin, molecular composition, etc, that indicate a common relationship. The major groups are domain or superkingdom, kingdom, phylum (in animals) or division (in plants), class, order, family, genus, and species
2. the study of the principles and practice of this process; taxonomy
government the designation of an item of information as being secret and not available to people outside a restricted group

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

classification Scientific

/ klăs′ə-fĭ-kā′shən /

The systematic grouping of organisms according to the structural or evolutionary relationships among them. Organisms are normally classified by observed similarities in their body and cell structure or by evolutionary relationships based on the analysis of sequences of their DNA.
See more at cladistics Linnean See Table at taxonomy

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

classifications

plural

Etymology

Origin of classification

1780–90; < Latin classi ( s ) class + -fication

Explanation

Classification is the process of putting something into a category. Classification of all your clothes by color may make it easier for you to put together an outfit, especially if you favor a monochrome look. Classification involves putting things into a class or group according to particular characteristics so it’s easier to make sense of them, whether you’re organizing your shoes, your stock portfolio, or a group of invertebrates. If you’re an international spy, you might know that classification also can mean a government’s system for keeping secrets. If you have a high level of security classification, then you know really top secret stuff.

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Vocabulary lists containing classification

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

classification classifications

Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey’s music has always felt somewhat beyond classification, even to her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Each classification in the Hornbostel-Sachs system has divisions aplenty, followed by subdivisions and further subdivisions, for a total of more than 300 categories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Niewiadoma-Phinney began the 146.8km ride from La Voulte-sur-Rhone third in the general classification, one minute and 17 seconds behind race leader Marlen Reusser, with Demi Vollering second.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

By occupying this unusual position, the genus helps fill an important gap in the existing classification system.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Dr. Z is headed upstairs for the zero-three-zeros. That’s the Dewey decimal classification for encyclopedias and books of facts.”

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

In California, e-bikes and e-motorcycles are divided into different classifications, which limits who can ride them and how.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

While others were perfecting their sourdough loaves or getting into bird-watching during the pandemic, Facundo Monteiro Kempf, a 35-year-old who works in cybersecurity for Microsoft, was memorizing Burgundian vineyard classifications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Scottish Mountaineering Club requires climbers to reach 1,072 summits across six different hill classifications to complete the "full house".

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Unfortunately, most investors don’t focus on these issues; getting clarity about complex legal and regulatory classifications is boring and abstract.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Though he was entirely self-taught, never learned Latin, and had scant understanding of Linnaean classifications, he was a prize plant collector, with an uncanny knack for finding and recognizing unknown species.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023