card
noun · verb
Simple meaning
One of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in different ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahrdIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑɹd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
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.”
in the plural
Any game using playing cards; a card game.
A rectangular piece of stiff paper used to send messages (may have printed greetings or pictures)
“They sent us a card from Miami.”
Any flat, normally rectangular piece of stiff paper, plastic, etc.
Any electronic payment (rather than a cash payment using notes, bills or coins).
A list of scheduled events or of performers or contestants; chiefly used in professional wrestling.
verb
To scrape or tear someone's flesh using a metal comb, as a form of torture.
transitiveus
To check IDs, especially against a minimum age requirement.
transitive
To comb with a card; to cleanse or disentangle by carding.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: One of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
Used this way, card is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He collected cards and traded them with the other boys.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- visiting card , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use card
- “I was carded when I tried to buy a beer!”verb
- “He collected cards and traded them with the other boys.”noun
- “They sent us a card from Miami.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A game played with playing cards.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The branch of medicine dealing with the heart and its diseases.
A specialist in cardiology.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A person who holds a credit card or debit card.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.