A card is usually a stiff, durable piece of paper or cardboard that has important information on it. Because a card is used over and over again, it has to be made of strong material.
Business people hand out business cards to promote themselves or the company that they work for.
Playing cards are used for card games such as poker and blackjack.
What kinds of card games do you know how to play?
A magician does tricks with cards.
Board games often include cards with information or directions as part of the game.
Students receive report cards that reflect their progress and performance in school.
A credit card is used to make purchases that are paid for at a later date.
When a repair person or technician shows up at your house to do work, he or she might show you a card as a form of identification.
Let me show you my card.
credit card
There are many different cards that are sent out in the mail or delivered directly to a person to commemorate an event:
Greeting cards are sent out to family and friends during the holidays.
Birthday cards are given to a person celebrating a birthday.
People who celebrate a wedding anniversary receive anniversary cards.
A person who experiences a death in his or her family might receive a sympathy card.
In some cases, the word "card" is used as a verb. This happens whenever a person must show identification or a driver’s license as proof of age:
Angela and her friends were carded when they entered the bar. (They had to show that they were older than 21 to enter.)
Some liquor stores card all customers to insure that they are old enough to buy merchandise.
There are some expressions that use the word "card."
Peter says he’s going to lay all his cards on the table. (He’s going to be totally honest.)
Lisa is a card-carrying member of the A.C.L.U. (She’s a member of the group. This can sound like a negative situation.)
Roger is a card-carrying member of the N.R.A.
Todd isn’t playing with a full deck of cards. (He’s not very smart or he’s a little mentally unstable.)
The company has decided to play a wild card in order to avoid closing. (To play a wild card is to take a risk or exploit an opportunity)
