card

KARD/kɑɹd/SayKAHDUK/kɑːd//kaːd/

39 meanings of card

1
stiff paper piecenouncountable
A flat piece of stiff paper or plastic, usually shaped like a rectangle.
She wrote the recipe on a card and stuck it to the fridge.
He slid a thin plastic card under the door to push the latch open.
2
for payingnouncountable
A small piece of plastic from a bank or store that you use to pay for things or get cash.
Can I pay with my card, or do you only take cash?
She put her card into the cash machine and took out forty dollars.
UsageSay pay by card or pay with my card. Card or cash? asks how you will pay.
3
IDnouncountable
A small card with your details on it that shows who you are or what group you belong to.
Show your card at the front desk to get into the gym.
I forgot my library card, so I could not borrow any books.
UsageUsually with a word in front: ID card, library card.
SimilarID, pass
Note
4
in a decknouncountable
A small piece of stiff paper or plastic with numbers or pictures on it, used to play games.
She picked a card from the deck and looked at it.
The magician asked me to choose any card and remember it.
UsageA full set is a deck of cards. You deal cards to the players.
Note
5
greetingnouncountable
A folded piece of stiff paper with a picture and a message, given for a birthday, holiday, or other occasion.
Grandma sent me a card with a big cake on the front for my birthday.
We all signed a card for our teacher before the holidays.
UsageSay a birthday card or a thank-you card. You send or sign a card.
6
computer partnouncountable
A small electronic part that you can put into a computer or other device to give it new abilities.
Like adding a new piece to a machine so it can do more things.
Dad put a new card in the computer so it could run better games.
The photos go on a tiny card that slides into the side of the camera.
UsageUsually with a word in front: a graphics card, a memory card.
Similarboard
Note
7
name and jobnouncountable
A small piece of stiff paper that shows a person's name, job, and how to reach them.
He gave me his card so I could call him about the job.
Her card shows her name, her title, and her phone number.
UsageAlso called a business card.
8
deck gamenounplural
A game that people play with a deck of playing cards.
We played cards on the porch until it got dark.
Friday is card night at my grandma's house.
UsageSay play cards. Before another word it is card: a card game.
9
match lineupnouncountable
A list of the matches, fights, or races that will happen at a sports event.
The card for Saturday's show has six matches on it.
Two big stars were added to the card this week.
10
school gradesnounPhilippinescountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for report card. Used mainly in the Philippines, at school, when everyone knows you mean grades.
I got my card today, and my math grade finally went up.
Mom has to sign my card and send it back to the teacher.
UsageIn other places, say report card.
Note
11
score sheetnouncountable
A printed card or sheet for writing down the score in a game such as golf, boxing or cricket.
She wrote her score on the card after each hole.
Two of the judges had the young boxer ahead on their cards.
Similarscorecard
Note

Less common meanings

12
advantagenouncountable
Something you can use, like a fact or an advantage, to help you get what you want.
Like a special move you save in a game until the best moment.
She played the sympathy card to get out of doing the dishes.
Their best card in the talks was the offer of free delivery.
UsageWe say someone plays the sympathy card to get what they want.
Similarasset, weapon, advantage
13
check IDverbUStransitive
To check someone's ID, especially to make sure they are old enough.
The store will card anyone who looks under thirty.
The waiter carded us before bringing the drinks.
UsagePeople often say I got carded at the door.
SimilarID
Note
14
funny personnouncolloquialcountable
A funny person who makes others laugh, often in a slightly strange way.
Grandpa is a real card. He tells jokes at every family dinner.
Our neighbor is such a card that even the mail carrier stops to laugh with her.
UsageSaid in a kind way: he's a real card.
Similarcharacter, joker, wag, clown
Note
15
app pagenouncountable
One of several pages on a screen that you can move between and fill in.
Tap the next card to type in your address.
The quiz app shows one card at a time, with a question on each.
Similarscreen, page, panel
Note
16
noununcountable
Thick, strong paper that bends a little, used for things like postcards.
Cut a circle out of stiff card to make the clock face for your project.
The sign was made of card, so the rain ruined it fast.
UsageSay some card or a piece of card, like paper.
Similarcardstock
17
scoreverbtransitive
To get a certain score in a game, written down on a score card.
She hoped to card a low score at the school golf match.
He carded an 80 on the hilly course on Saturday.
UsageMostly in golf news: she carded a 68.
Similarshoot, score, post
18
film textnouncountable
Text shown on the screen during a movie or show to explain the story or what people say.
A card on the screen said that the story now moved to Paris.
In old silent movies, a card shows the words the actors are speaking.
Similarintertitle, caption
Note
19
nouncountable
A brush with stiff wire teeth used to clean and straighten wool or cotton before spinning.
Like a hairbrush for wool instead of hair.
She brushed the raw wool between two cards until the fibers lay straight.
Grandma showed me how to hold a card in each hand and brush the cotton between them.
Note
20
attractionnoundatedfigurativelycountable
Something that pulls people in or makes them want to come.
Like a magnet that pulls people toward a place or event.
The new water slide is the pool's biggest drawing card this summer.
The petting zoo was a good drawing card for families with small kids.
UsageToday people mostly say drawing card, or just draw.
Similardraw, attraction, lure, magnet
Note
21
verbdatedintransitive
To spend time playing card games.
For Corinius, who gave not a fig for music or dirges, but liked well of carding and dicing, had brought forth his dice box to play with the son of Corund.
1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A RomanceHere, carding means playing card games for fun.
Note
22
TV test imagenouncountable
A picture that a TV station shows to test that the screen and colors look right.
Like the test page a printer prints to check its ink before the real printing.
Late at night, the TV channel stopped its shows and put up a card with colored stripes.
Engineers used the card on the screen to fix the TV's colors.
23
newspaper notenoundatedcountable
A short public note, usually in a newspaper, that thanks people, explains something, or asks for something.
The family put a card in the paper to thank everyone who helped them.
The shop owner ran a card in the paper saying he would reopen.
Similarnotice, statement, announcement
Note
24
wool machinenoundatedcountable or uncountable
A machine that untangles wool and lays the fibers straight before spinning.
Like a giant comb that pulls the tangles out of wool.
The mill's new card cleaned the wool much faster than working by hand.
Workers fed raw wool into the card at one end of the room.
Note
25
wire teeth surfacenoundateduncountable
A material with many short, stiff wire bristles set into it.
The workers covered the big roller with new card before starting the machine.
The mill wrapped each roller in card full of tiny wire teeth.
Note
26
mapnounobsoletecountable
A map or chart showing lands, seas, or stars.
Note
27
noun
In a debate contest, an exact quote from a source, read out as proof of a point.
28
noun
A flat piece with punched holes that tells a weaving machine which threads to lift.
29
noun
Short for compass card. Sailors say just card when it is clear they mean the dial inside a compass.
30
noun
In math, a smaller graph made by removing one point from a bigger graph.
31
noun
A paper chart drawn by a machine that shows the pressure inside an engine.
32
noundated
A tool with wire teeth that brushes cloth to make it soft and fluffy.
33
noun
A soft strand of wool or other fiber made by a machine that brushes it.
34
verb
To comb wool with a special tool so it is ready to be made into thread.
35
verb
To hurt someone badly by tearing their skin with a metal comb.
36
verbobsolete
To clean something by pulling out what is unwanted, as if with a comb.
It is necessary that this book carded and purged of certain base things.
1612, Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
37
verbobsolete
To mix something with something of lower quality.
that card your beer, if you see your guests begin to be drunk, half small and half strong
1592, Robert Greene, A Quip for an Upstart Courtier
38
noun
A short name for the cardinal, a red bird.
39
nounobsolete
An old way to spell chard.

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–18, 20–23, 26

It came from Latin charta, meaning paper, which came from Greek khartes, meaning paper or papyrus.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

Card ultimately derives from Latin charta. en.wiktionary.org
Latin charta means paper. en.wiktionary.org
Latin charta derives from Greek khartes. en.wiktionary.org
Greek khartes means paper or papyrus. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 19, 24–25

It came from Old Occitan carda, linked to a verb meaning to comb, from Latin caro ("to comb with a card").

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The textile noun card derives from Old Occitan carda, linked to the verb cardar meaning to comb. en.wiktionary.org
The derivation ultimately leads to Latin caro, meaning to comb with a card. en.wiktionary.org