identification card

American  

noun

1. a card giving identifying data about a person, as full name, address, age, and color of hair and eyes, and often containing a photograph: for use as identification at a place of employment, school, club, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of identification card

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

He showed her a fake BBC lanyard and identification card and on one occasion the woman walked with him to BBC Cymru Wales' headquarters in Central Square where he claimed to work in TV production.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

The federal Real ID Act will take effect May 7, meaning a standard state-issued driver’s license or identification card will no longer get people through airport security or into federal buildings.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2024

Many of the flagged registered voters turned out to be naturalized citizens whom the state incorrectly identified as ineligible because it was using outdated DPS data from driver’s license and state identification card applications.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2024

On Friday morning, the campus, which is fenced but normally open to the public, was closed to anyone without an identification card.

From New York Times • May 3, 2024

Intercity travel in North Korea had once been impossible without a travel permit, which would be stamped or folded into a “citizen’s certificate,” a passport-size document modeled after the old Soviet identification card.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden