- [uncountable, countable] (British English) thick, stiff paper; a piece of this for writing on
- a piece of card
- The model of the building was made of card.
- Each person wrote their question on a card.
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- [countable] a piece of stiff paper that is folded in the middle and has a picture on the front of it, used for sending somebody a message with your good wishes, an invitation, etc.
- a birthday/get-well/good luck card
- Everyone at work signed a card for her.
- When they got engaged I sent them a card.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- greeting
- greetings
- birthday
- …
- give somebody
- send somebody
- sign
- …
- [countable] a postcard (= a card used for sending messages by post without an envelope, especially one that has a picture on one side)
- Did you get my card from Italy?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- greeting
- greetings
- birthday
- …
- give somebody
- send somebody
- sign
- …
- [countable] a small piece of stiff paper or plastic with information on it, especially information about somebody’s identity
- a membership card
- an appointment card
- She got her first library card at the age of seven.
- a set of free recipe cards
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- ID
- identity
- membership
- …
- hand somebody
- hand out
- scan
- …
- catalogue
- reader
- on a/the card
- [countable] a business card (= a small card printed with somebody's name and details of their job and company)
- Here's my card if you need to contact me again.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- ID
- identity
- membership
- …
- hand somebody
- hand out
- scan
- …
- catalogue
- reader
- on a/the card
- [countable] (British English also visiting card, North American English calling card)(especially in the past) a small card with your name on it that you leave with somebody after, or instead of, a formal visitOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
- ID
- identity
- membership
- …
- hand somebody
- hand out
- scan
- …
- catalogue
- reader
- on a/the card
- [countable] a small piece of plastic, especially one given by a bank or shop, used for buying things or obtaining money
- I put the meal on (= paid for it using) my card.
- by card Can I pay by card?
- Thieves used her cards to go on a spending spree.
Extra Examplessee also ATM card, bank card, cash card, charge card, chip card, credit card, debit card, gift card, Gold Card™, phonecard, smart card, swipe card- Contact the bank and cancel all your cards.
- He had a wallet full of plastic cards.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- plastic
- ATM
- cash
- …
- pay by
- put something on
- use
- …
- number
- holder
- company
- …
- (also playing card)[countable] any one of a set of 52 cards with numbers and pictures printed on one side, which are used to play various card game
- (British English) a pack of cards
- (especially North American English) a deck of cards
- Each player in turn must play a card.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- playing
- winning
- court
- …
- deck
- pack
- hand
- …
- cut
- deal
- shuffle
- …
- game
- player
- playing
- …
- cards[plural] a game or games in which playing cards are used
- Who wants to play cards?
- I've never been very good at cards.
- Let's have a game of cards.
- She won £20 at cards.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary… of card- game
- play
- lose at
- win at
- …
- [countable] a small device containing an electronic circuit that is part of a computer or added to it, enabling it to perform particular functions
- a printed circuit card
- a memory card
- a graphics/sound/video card
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- graphics
- memory
- network
- …
- install
- slot
- [countable] (old-fashioned, informal) an unusual or funny person
- [countable] a list of all the races at a particular race meeting (= a series of horse races)Topics Sports: other sportsc2
- [countable] (specialist) a machine or tool used for cleaning and combing wool or cotton before it is spun
paper
with a message
with information
for money
in games
computing
person
horse races
for wool/cotton
Word Originnoun senses 1 to 12 late Middle English (originally in sense 8 of the noun): from Old French carte, from Latin carta, charta, from Greek khartēs ‘papyrus leaf’. noun sense 13 late Middle English: from Old French carde, from Provençal carda, from cardar ‘tease, comb’, based on Latin carere ‘to card’.
Idioms
See card in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee card in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishsomebody’s best/strongest/winning card
- something that gives somebody an advantage over other people in a particular situation
the cards/odds are stacked against you
- you are unlikely to succeed because the conditions are not good for youTopics Difficulty and failurec2
the cards/odds are stacked in your favour
- you are likely to succeed because the conditions are good and you have an advantageTopics Successc2
get your cards
- (British English, old-fashioned, informal) to be told to leave a job
give somebody their cards
- (British English, old-fashioned, informal) to make somebody leave their job
have a card up your sleeve
- to have an idea, a plan, etc. that will give you an advantage in a particular situation and that you keep secret until it is needed
hold all the cards
- (informal) to be able to control a particular situation because you have an advantage over other people
hold/keep/play your cards close to your chest
- to keep your ideas, plans, etc. secret
lay/put your cards on the table
- to tell somebody honestly what your plans, ideas, etc. are
on the cards (British English)
(North American English in the cards)
- (informal) likely to happen
- The merger has been on the cards for some time now.
play the… card
- to mention a particular subject, idea or quality in order to gain an advantage
- He accused his opponent of playing the immigration card during the campaign.
play your cards right
- to deal successfully with a particular situation so that you achieve some advantage or something that you want
- If you play your cards right, the job could be yours when she leaves.
show your cards/hand
(North American English also tip your hand)
- to make your plans or intentions known
Check pronunciation:
card