calling card
Americannoun
-
Also called card, visiting card. a small card with the name and often the address of a person or of a couple, for presenting when making a business or social call, for enclosing in gifts, etc.
-
Informal. any mark, sign, trace, characteristic, or the like by which someone or something can be recognized.
-
Also called phone card. a prepaid card or charge card that can be used to make a telephone call at home or away from home.
noun
Etymology
Origin of calling card
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
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.
The findings suggest that BFAs could function as a durable chemical "calling card" that helps preserve information about individual identity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Tapping loans from his insurers had been a calling card of the 66-year-old billionaire’s conglomerate for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
But Finch, 59, anchored a band whose calling card was thrilling, glorious bluntness.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Or is the Scotland faithful's new calling card here to stay?
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
First she’d been seen by a human, and then she’d left a moth behind like a calling card.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
