credit card

American  

noun

1. a card that identifies a person as entitled to have food, merchandise, services, etc., billed on a charge account.

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credit card British  

noun

1. a card issued by banks, businesses, etc, enabling the holder to obtain goods and services on credit

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Etymology

Origin of credit card

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Add up car loans, credit cards, student-loan debt and other obligations and track down all of your assets.

From MarketWatch

Riders now tap phones, credit cards or transit passes without worrying about balances disappearing or cards mysteriously refusing to swipe.

From Salon

“People tend to repay a credit card,” the authors say, “by allocating their debt repayments proportionally to the relative sizes of their balances.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Kwatra would order her designer clothes and accessories and charge them to her credit card.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said they had no phones or credit cards, and added his birthday was on Christmas Day.

From BBC

Related Words

• bank card