cards
cards — noun
1. the separate stiff pieces people hold, deal, and put down when they play games s
the separate stiff pieces people hold, deal, and put down when they play games such as poker or bridge.
Two children spread the cards across the kitchen table before dinner.
spread the cards across the table
The dealer counted the cards twice after one slid under a chair.
Rain ruined the cards that Leo had left beside the open window.
Henrik wiped the cards with a dry cloth after juice spilled.
- deal the cards
- shuffle the cards
- pick up the cards
- lay the cards down
- playing cards
full term when you want to distinguish them from bank cards or greeting cards
Grammar Patterns
deal the cards
shuffle the cards
pick up the cards
Usage Note
This sense names the physical pieces themselves. If you mean the whole pack, say 'the deck'.
Common Mistakes
2. card games in general, or the activity of playing with a pack of cards under sha
card games in general, or the activity of playing with a pack of cards under shared rules.
After lunch, Meera's grandparents played cards in the shade behind the house.
play cards - activity use
The campers taught Yan a new game of cards during the storm.
On Friday nights, the neighbors gather downstairs for cards and tea.
Femi stayed late at the club because the cards had not ended.
- play cards
- a game of cards
- stay for cards
- teach someone cards
- card games
names the general type of game rather than one specific game
Grammar Patterns
play cards
a game of cards
stay for cards
Usage Note
This meaning is naturally plural. English speakers usually say 'play cards' rather than 'play a card' when they mean the activity.
Common Mistakes
3. useful advantages, arguments, or emotional points that someone brings in to stre
useful advantages, arguments, or emotional points that someone brings in to strengthen their position.
The mayor played the jobs card during the debate about the factory closure.
play the [issue] card
Keeping quiet was our best card while the other side argued in public.
The campaign used the safety card to win support from worried parents.
When prices rose again, the union finally had a strong card to use.
- play the race card
- play the sympathy card
- have a strong card
- keep a card in reserve
- trump card
stronger metaphor for the advantage that can decide the result
- leverage
more formal and less image-based
Grammar Patterns
play the [issue] card
have a strong card
keep a card in reserve
Usage Note
Very often used in the expression 'play the ... card', especially in politics or arguments. The word refers to leverage, not to a literal object.
4. decorated cards people send or give to mark birthdays, holidays, sympathy, thank
decorated cards people send or give to mark birthdays, holidays, sympathy, thanks, or other important moments.
Niran taped the thank-you cards to the gifts before the wedding dinner.
thank-you cards
The class made birthday cards for the nurse who visits every Tuesday.
Our aunt keeps old Christmas cards in a blue box by the sofa.
Beatrix bought sympathy cards after hearing about her neighbor's loss.
- birthday cards
- Christmas cards
- sympathy cards
- thank-you cards
- greeting cards
full term and the most explicit name for this sense
Grammar Patterns
send cards
make cards
buy cards
Usage Note
This short form usually refers to greeting cards, not business cards or bank cards. The occasion is often stated before 'cards': birthday cards, Christmas cards, sympathy cards.
5. cards that carry a short note and can be posted without putting them inside an e
cards that carry a short note and can be posted without putting them inside an envelope.
Rafael mailed three cards from Lisbon on the last day of his trip.
mail cards from + place
The museum shop sold cards showing old maps of the harbor.
Matthew pinned the cards from his cousins onto the bedroom wall.
We wrote short cards home because the hotel internet kept failing.
- send cards home
- picture cards
- holiday cards from Rome
- tourist cards
- postcards
the common full name in everyday use
Grammar Patterns
send cards home
mail cards from [place]
buy cards at a shop
Usage Note
In modern English, 'postcards' is usually the fuller word. This shorter form appears when the travel or holiday context already makes the meaning clear.
6. bank or credit cards that people use to pay for things or get money from a machi
bank or credit cards that people use to pay for things or get money from a machine.
The bakery now accepts cards, so nobody needs coins for morning coffee.
accept cards - payment method
I left my cards at home and had to borrow bus fare.
The clerk asked whether the damaged cards still worked in the machine.
Tourists should tell their bank before using cards overseas.
- accept cards
- pay by card
- bank cards
- credit cards
- bank cards
broad term for cards linked to a bank account or payment system
- credit cards
specific type used for borrowing and payment
- cash
payment by physical money rather than by card
Grammar Patterns
accept cards
pay by card
use cards overseas
Usage Note
Most common in shops and travel talk. If you need the specific type, say 'credit cards', 'debit cards', or 'bank cards'.
Common Mistakes
7. small cards that show personal details, business contact information, or another
small cards that show personal details, business contact information, or another identifying message.
The leader collected the cards with each volunteer's phone number before the hike.
cards with contact details
The interns clipped name cards to their jackets for the welcome event.
A nurse checked the emergency cards inside each child's school bag.
The artist handed out business cards after the small gallery talk.
- business cards
- name cards
- emergency cards
- index cards
- ID cards
specific when the card proves identity
- business cards
specific when the card gives work contact details
Grammar Patterns
hand out cards
collect cards
write details on cards
Usage Note
This sense covers several practical kinds of card. The exact noun before 'card' often shows the function: business card, ID card, name card, emergency card.
8. picture cards that people swap, keep in albums, or buy and sell as a hobby.
picture cards that people swap, keep in albums, or buy and sell as a hobby.
Emre traded baseball cards with a classmate during the lunch break.
trade baseball cards
The shop keeps rare cards in locked glass cases near the counter.
Meera sorted her football cards by year and team color.
An online buyer paid hundreds of dollars for the signed cards.
- baseball cards
- football cards
- rare cards
- signed cards
- trading cards
the usual full name for these hobby items
Grammar Patterns
trade cards
collect cards
sort cards by team
Usage Note
Often appears with the sport, film, or series named before 'cards'. The focus is on collecting and trading, not on playing a game.
9. electronic boards that fit inside a computer or device so it can handle graphics
electronic boards that fit inside a computer or device so it can handle graphics, sound, networking, or another task.
The repair shop ordered new graphics cards for the office computers.
graphics cards - computer hardware
Old desktop machines often need extra cards for faster network connections.
The engineer removed the cards carefully before moving the server rack.
Dust had covered the sound cards inside the music studio computer.
- graphics cards
- sound cards
- network cards
- expansion cards
- expansion cards
more technical full term for boards added to a computer
Grammar Patterns
graphics cards
sound cards
network cards
Usage Note
Commonly modified by the function they control: graphics cards, sound cards, network cards, memory cards. The sense belongs to computing, not to games with cards.
10. the scheduled set of matches or contests at a boxing show or another sports even
the scheduled set of matches or contests at a boxing show or another sports event.
Fans downloaded the fight cards before choosing which match to watch.
fight cards - scheduled bouts
The promoter changed the cards after two boxers pulled out.
Local radio announced the festival cards for the weekend races.
- fight cards
- main card
- change the card
- announce the card
- line-up
less metaphorical word for the scheduled set of events
Grammar Patterns
fight cards
change the cards
announce the cards
Usage Note
Most often heard in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts. It refers to the line-up of contests, not to tickets or printed menus.
11. printed cards on a table or bar that show what food or drinks can be ordered.
printed cards on a table or bar that show what food or drinks can be ordered.
Small dessert cards stood beside every plate at the hotel banquet.
dessert cards on tables
The waiter replaced the cards when the chef added a new soup.
Each table had wine cards in both English and Japanese.
- dessert cards
- wine cards
- table cards
- menu cards
- menu
broader everyday word that is not always printed on a card
Grammar Patterns
wine cards
dessert cards
replace the cards
Usage Note
This is a fairly formal restaurant or banquet use. In ordinary conversation, speakers more often say 'menu' or 'wine list'.
cards — verb
1. to ask someone to show identification, usually to check age before entry, alcoho
to ask someone to show identification, usually to check age before entry, alcohol sales, or another restricted service.
The bartender carded Leo before serving the first beer of the night.
card + person - ask for identification
Security carded everyone entering the concert after the evening show started.
The cashier carded Christopher because the cough medicine was age-restricted.
Nobody carded the tourists at the quiet beach bar.
- card customers
- card everyone
- get carded
- card at the door
- ID
informal verb with a similar meaning, especially in passive-style use
Grammar Patterns
card + person
get carded
Usage Note
The object is the person, not the ID card itself. Most common in bars, shops, concerts, and other places with age checks.
Common Mistakes
2. to attach a card label to something, or to record details on a card so the item
to attach a card label to something, or to record details on a card so the item can be filed or tracked.
Warehouse staff carded every sample before loading the boxes onto the truck.
card + object - attach a label card
The librarian carded the new maps so students could find them later.
A volunteer carded each coat with the owner's number at the theater.
Before computers arrived, clerks carded customer records by hand.
- card each sample
- card the records
- card the new maps
- card by hand
Grammar Patterns
card + object
card records by hand
card each sample
Usage Note
This sense belongs to filing, cataloging, stock control, or labeling. It sounds formal and is often linked to older paper-based systems.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Cards, dominoes, dice, and tiles are all game objects, but they behave in different ways. Cards are thin printed pieces that players usually shuffle, deal, hold in a hand, and put down one by one. Dominoes are small blocks marked with dots and are normally lined up on a table. Dice are cubes that you throw to produce numbers by chance, so they create a result rather than form a hand. Tiles are flat pieces used in games such as mah-jong or word games, and they often stay on the table or in a rack instead of being dealt from a pack. You play cards, roll dice, line up dominoes, and arrange tiles.
Common collocations
Etymology
Cards is the regular plural of card. Card reached English through Old French carte from Latin charta, which meant a sheet or leaf used for writing. From the idea of a small flat sheet, English later widened the word to many portable flat objects, including playing cards, greeting cards, information cards, and bank cards. The figurative sense about having a useful card to play grew out of game language, where a strong card in your hand became a picture for any advantage you can use.