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Synonyms

credit card

American  

noun

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

credit card British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of credit card

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Selling frequent-flier miles to credit card companies alone is lucrative enough that many airlines wouldn’t break even without it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

"My credit card, my AmEx, is connected to my phone," she explained.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

As for the merchandise emporium, well … that’s where the credit card starts heating up.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

“The likelihood of a prolonged period of higher energy prices, decelerating credit card data and channel checks have investors skeptical on how inelastic air travel demand can be,” he added.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026

Because we’re taking him out of his high interest rate credit card debt and putting him into lower interest rate mortgage debt.’

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.