noun | verb
cardcard1 /kɑrd/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 1
INFORMATION a small piece of plastic or paper that shows who someone is, or shows that someone belongs to a particular organization, club, etc.: Do you have a library card? He pulled out his party membership card. Employees must show their ID cards at the gate. → see also green card2MONEY a small piece of plastic that you get from your bank or from a store, that you use to pay for goods: a VISA card I gave the waiter my card. Please enter your card number in the space below. → see also cardholder, charge card, credit card3BIRTHDAY/CHRISTMAS ETC. a piece of folded thick stiff paper with a picture on the front, that you send to people on special occasions: I got a Mother’s Day card for Mom.a birthday/Christmas/Valentine’s etc. card Have you sent Jen a birthday card? → see also greeting card4GAMES a)one of a set of 52 small pieces of stiff paper with numbers or pictures on them, that are used for playing games: Here’s a new deck of cards (=set of cards). One of the cards is missing from the deck. b)cards a game in which these cards are used: I’m no good at cards. We spent the entire evening playing cards (=playing a game with cards) and drinking. a book of card games c)small pieces of thick stiff paper with numbers or pictures on them, used for a particular game: a set of cards with pictures for playing Go Fish5FOR WRITING INFORMATION a small piece of thick stiff paper that information can be written or printed on: a recipe card She took notes on 3x5 cards (=cards that are 3 inches high and 5 inches wide).6BUSINESS a small piece of thick stiff paper that shows your name, job, and the company you work for SYN business card: Mr. Kim gave me his card as I left. → see also calling card7COMPUTER the thing inside a computer that the chips are attached to, that allows the computer to perform specific actions8baseball/sports etc. card a small piece of thick stiff paper with a picture of and information about a baseball player, etc., that is part of a set which people collect9be in the cards to seem likely to happen: The increase in price has been in the cards for some time.10put/lay your cards on the table to tell people what your plans and intentions are in a clear, honest way after keeping them secret for some time: They’re willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate.11your strong/strongest/best card something that gives you a big advantage in a particular situation: The promise of tax cuts proved to be the Republicans’ best card. → see also your trump card at trump1 (3)12play/keep/hold your cards close to your chest (also play/keep/hold your cards close to your vest) to keep your plans, thoughts, or feelings secret: The chairman is holding his cards close to his chest on the question of a merger.13hold all the cards informal to have all the advantages in a particular situation so that you can control what happens: In research, the larger well-financed firms hold all the cards.14have a/another card up your sleeve to have an advantage that you have been keeping secret, that you can use to be successful in a particular situation15FROM VACATION a postcard16SOCCER a small piece of red or yellow paper, shown by the referee to a player who has done something wrong in a game of soccer17PERSON [usually singular] old-fashioned an amusing or unusual person: Harold was always such a card!18TOOL a tool that is similar to a comb and is used for combing, cleaning and preparing wool or cotton for spinning[Origin: 1400–1500 French carte, from Old Italian carta sheet of paper, from Latin charta] → see also play your cards right at play1 (21) noun | verb
cardcard2 verb 1[intransitive, transitive] to ask someone to show a card proving that he or she is old enough to be in a particular place, especially a bar, or old enough to buy alcohol or cigarettes: Clerks card everyone buying alcohol who looks under 30.2[transitive] to comb, clean, and prepare wool or cotton, before making cloth