cardboard

[ kahrd-bawrd, -bohrd ]

/ ˈkɑrdˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cardboard ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

adjective

resembling cardboard, especially in flimsiness: an apartment with cardboard walls.

not fully lifelike; shallow; two-dimensional: a play with cardboard characters.

Nearby words

Origin of cardboard

First recorded in 1840–50; card¹ + board

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cardboard

Host and guest pop and lock on cardboard—the only proper surface for breakdancing—and in no way did they have dancing doubles.
Breakdancing Brad Pitt, Chainsaw Massacre Prank, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A heavy trowel is used to retrieve a mass of your chosen kind of ice cream from its tub and put it in the cardboard container.
Dr. Mike’s Makes the Best Ice Cream on Earth|Jane & Michael Stern|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the end of the day, six more bodies were found, each wrapped in clothing and blankets, each in its own cardboard box.
Utah’s Murderer Mom Is a Monster but She’s Not the First|Steve Miller|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The train is literally made out of cardboard with smoke coming out of the top it.
The Look of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’|Andrew Romano|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And this train, which was just a bunch of cardboard with a cowcatcher attached to it, was pushed into view by a bunch of people.
Ralph Fiennes Discusses ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ J. Lo, and That ‘Seinfeld’ Episode|Marlow Stern|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sheets of cardboard were smuggled to and fro, and finally taken out of the house and never brought back.
The Daughters of a Genius|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
He put the cardboard box away in a safe and locked it up; putting the key in his pocket, he gave Brent an informing glance.
In the Mayor's Parlour|J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher
For that reason he clings to D'Epernon, but some day he will find out that Epernon is only a man of cardboard.
The White Plumes of Navarre|Samuel Rutherford Crockett
We set the candle on the window sill and make flashes by passing the cardboard back and forth.
Anne Of Green Gables|Lucy Maud Montgomery
Whipping the handkerchief from the cardboard, he held out to Conniston's gaze the picture it concealed.
Under Handicap|Jackson Gregory

British Dictionary definitions for cardboard

cardboard

/ (ˈkɑːdˌbɔːd) /

noun

a thin stiff board made from paper pulp and used esp for making cartons
(as modifier)cardboard boxes

adjective

(prenominal) without substancea 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

Word Origin and History for cardboard

cardboard

1848, from card (n.) + board (n.1). Figurative sense is from 1893. An earlier word for the same stuff was card paper (1777).

cardboard

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of cardboard

Examples from the Web for cardboard

British Dictionary definitions for cardboard

cardboard

noun

adjective

Word Origin and History for cardboard

cardboard