debit card

American  

noun

debit cards plural

1. a plastic card that resembles a credit card but functions like a check and through which payments for purchases or services are made electronically to the bank accounts of participating retailing establishments directly from those of card holders.

---

debit card British  

noun

1. an embossed plastic card issued by a bank or building society to enable its customers to pay for goods or services by inserting it into a computer-controlled device at the place of sale, which is connected through the telephone network to the bank or building society. It may also function as a cash card, a cheque card, or both

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• debit cards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of debit card

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The grocery chain agreed to pay $7.4 million in fees to customers who purchased items from March to July 2019 and received receipts showing too many digits of their credit or debit card.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

Izquierdo is correct that the card functions more like a debit card than a credit card.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Similarly, spending was up 4.8% year over year, according to Bank of America’s credit and debit card data.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

"It's very easy to just give them your debit card and pay it and worry about the cost later, if I've got a gift card I know I can't go over that amount," she says.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

He galloped around the table like he was riding an invisible bronco, waving his plastic debit card over his head and making whooping sounds.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty