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cardboard

American  
[kahrd-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈkɑrdˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

  1. a thin, stiff pasteboard, used for signs, boxes, etc.


adjective

  1. resembling cardboard, especially in flimsiness.

    an apartment with cardboard walls.

  2. not fully lifelike; shallow; two-dimensional.

    a play with cardboard characters.

cardboard British  
/ ˈkɑːdˌbɔːd /

noun

    1. a thin stiff board made from paper pulp and used esp for making cartons

    2. ( as modifier )

      cardboard boxes

"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

adjective

  1. (prenominal) without substance

    a cardboard smile

    a cardboard general

"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 cardboard

First recorded in 1840–50; card 1 + board

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.

A sheet of cardboard fanned the air on its own.

From Literature

Seated on a thin carpet covering the cardboard floor, Rauzah and her four children share an iftar meal of vegetables and prawns.

From Barron's

The unexpected fall in paper prices won’t crush earnings outlooks for paper and cardboard producers given their integrated business models, but the fall in prices is negative for the sector, Bank of America analysts write.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shares of U.S. packaging companies were among the market’s leading fallers on Monday as cardboard prices unexpectedly fell in response to sluggish demand.

From Barron's

The textile industry is the third-largest contributor to dry municipal solid waste in India - after plastics, and paper and cardboard - according to a recent report.

From BBC