card

/kɑrd/

/kɑd/

Other forms: cards; carding; carded

A card is a thick, often square or rectangular piece of paper. A schmoozer might hand you a business card, or you might send your mom a Mother’s Day card, or perhaps you’ll play poker with a deck of cards.

There are many different kinds of cards, from birthday cards to flashcards for studying vocabulary words before a big test. Cards are traditionally made from a light cardboard or heavy weight paper, although you probably also have plastic cards like an ATM card or a library card. To card someone is to ask for an identification card. The Greek root of card is khartes, "layer of papyrus."

Definitions of card

1. noun

   thin cardboard, usually rectangular
   types:

   timecard

   a card used with a time clock to record an employee's starting and quitting times each day

   type of:

   cardboard, composition board

   a stiff moderately thick paper
2. noun

   a rectangular piece of stiff paper used to send messages (may have printed greetings or pictures)
   “they sent us a card from Miami”

   types:

   get-well card

   a card expressing get-well wishes

   greeting card

   a card sent to express personal greetings

   mailing-card, post card, postal card, postcard

   a card for sending messages by post without an envelope

   sympathy card

   a card expressing sympathy

   birthday card

   a card expressing a birthday greeting

   Christmas card

   a card expressing a Christmas greeting

   Easter card

   a card expressing an Easter greeting

   Valentine

   a card sent or given (as to a sweetheart) on Saint Valentine's Day

   lettercard

   a postcard that folds so the message is inside

   picture postcard

   a postcard with a picture on one side

   Mass card

   (Roman Catholic Church) a card sent to a bereaved family that says the sender has arranged for a Mass to be said in memory of the deceased

   spiritual bouquet

   (Roman Catholic Church) a card indicating that the sender will perform certain devotional acts on behalf of another

   type of:

   correspondence

   communication by the exchange of letters
3. noun

   a printed or written greeting that is left to indicate that you have visited
   synonyms: calling card, visiting card

   type of:

   greeting, salutation

   (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
4. noun

   one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
   “he collected cards and traded them with the other boys”

   types:

   playing card

   one of a pack of cards that are used to play card games

   Hollerith card, punch card, punched card

   a card on which data can be recorded in the form of punched holes

   tarot, tarot card

   any of a set of (usually 72) cards that include 22 cards representing virtues and vices and death and fortune etc.; used by fortunetellers

   trading card

   a card with a picture on it; collected and traded by children

   crib

   the cards discarded by players at cribbage

   ace

   one of four playing cards in a deck having a single pip on its face

   baseball card

   a trading card with a picture of a baseball player and information about his playing record

   club

   a playing card in the minor suit that has one or more black trefoils on it

   deuce, two

   one of the four playing cards in a deck that have two spots

   diamond

   a playing card in the minor suit that has one or more red rhombuses on it

   draw

   a playing card or cards dealt or taken from the pack

   court card, face card, picture card

   one of the twelve cards in a deck bearing a picture of a face

   gaming card

   one of a set of cards used in gambling games

   heart

   a playing card in the major suit that has one or more red hearts on it

   hole card

   (poker) a playing card dealt face down and not revealed until the showdown

   joker

   a playing card that is usually printed with a picture of a jester

   singleton

   the playing card that is the only card in a suit held in a bridge hand as initially dealt

   spade

   a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it

   spot

   a playing card with a specified number of pips on it to indicate its value

   stopper

   (bridge) a playing card with a value sufficiently high to insure taking a trick in a particular suit

   suit

   playing card in any of four sets of 13 cards in a pack; each set has its own symbol and color

   three, trey

   one of four playing cards in a deck having three pips

   trump, trump card

   a playing card in the suit that has been declared trumps

   wild card

   a playing card whose value can be determined by the person who holds it

   type of:

   paper

   a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
5. noun

   a card certifying the identity of the bearer
   “he had to show his card to get in”

   synonyms: identity card

   types:

   business card

   a card on which are printed the person's name and business affiliation

   donor card

   a card that you carry on your person and that authorizes the use of your organs for transplantation after your death

   keycard

   a plastic card that has a magnetically coded strip that is scanned in order to operate a mechanism

   membership card

   a card certifying membership in an organization

   borrower's card, library card

   a card certifying the bearer's right to use the library

   ration card

   a card certifying the bearer's right to purchase rationed goods

   union card

   a card certifying membership in a labor union

   type of:

   positive identification

   evidence proving that you are who you say you are; evidence establishing that you are among the group of people already known to the system; recognition by the system leads to acceptance
6. noun

   a sign posted in a public place as an advertisement
   synonyms: bill, notice, placard, poster, posting

   types:

   show bill, show card, theatrical poster

   a poster advertising a show or play

   flash card, flashcard

   a card with words or numbers or pictures that is flashed to a class by the teacher

   type of:

   sign

   a public display of a message
7. noun

   (golf) a record of scores (as in golf)
   “you have to turn in your card to get a handicap”

   synonyms: scorecard

   type of:

   book, record, record book

   a compilation of the known facts regarding something or someone
8. noun

   a list of dishes available at a restaurant
   synonyms: bill of fare, carte, carte du jour, menu

   types:

   a la carte

   a menu having individual dishes listed with separate prices

   prix fixe

   a menu listing fixed meals at fixed prices

   table d'hote

   a menu offering a complete meal with limited choices at a fixed price

   type of:

   bill

   a list of particulars (as a playbill or bill of fare)
9. noun

   (baseball) a list of batters in the order in which they will bat
   “the managers presented their cards to the umpire at home plate”

   synonyms: batting order, lineup

   type of:

   roll, roster

   a list of names
10. noun

    a printed circuit that can be inserted into expansion slots in a computer to increase the computer's capabilities
    synonyms: add-in, board, circuit board, circuit card, plug-in

    types:

    CPU board, mother board

    the main circuit board for a computer

    PC board

    a removable circuit board for a personal computer; fits into a slot in the mother board

    type of:

    printed circuit

    computer circuit consisting of an electronic sub-assembly; copper conductors are laminated on an insulating board or card and circuit components are inserted into holes and dip soldered
11. verb

    ask someone for identification to determine whether he or she is old enough to consume liquor
    type of:

    ascertain, assure, check, control, ensure, insure, see, see to it

    be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something
12. verb

    separate the fibers of
    synonyms: tease

    type of:

    separate

    divide into components or constituents
13. noun

    a witty amusing person who makes jokes
    synonyms: wag, wit

    type of:

    farceur, humorist, humourist

    someone who acts, speaks, or writes in an amusing way