classified

1 of 2

adjective

clas·​si·​fied ˈkla-sə-ˌfīd 

1

: divided into classes or placed in a class

classified ads

2

: withheld from general circulation for reasons of national security

classified information

classified

2 of 2

noun

: an advertisement grouped with others according to subject

—usually used in plural

Examples of classified in a Sentence

Adjective

The part of the report that includes classified information was removed before the report was made public.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

One of those was for withholding classified documents. —Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025

His views intensified after the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 for classified documents that were allegedly improperly withheld. —Nick McMillan, NPR, 3 Mar. 2025

Noun

Craigslist surfaced and eventually dethroned newspapers as the go-to place for classifieds. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025

On his third day, Craigslist launched in New York and swiftly nuked the profitability of the Voice’s classifieds. —Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for classified

• actinide
• aldehyde
• alkoxide
• alongside
• amplified
• arsenide
• beautified
• biocide
• butoxide
• calcified
• ceramide
• certified

Kids Definition

classified

1 of 2 adjective

clas·​si·​fied ˈklas-ə-ˌfīd 

1

: divided into classes or placed in a class

classified ads

2

: withheld from the knowledge of the general public for reasons of national security

classified information

classified

2 of 2 noun

: an advertisement grouped with others of the same kind

—usually used in plural