identity card

American  

noun

• identity cards
  plural

1. a card for identifying the bearer, giving name, address, and other personal data.

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identity card British  

noun

1. a card that establishes a person's identity, esp one issued to all members of the population in wartime, to the staff of an organization, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• identity cards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of identity card

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

identity card

One even sent a copy of his identity card.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

"I am a Pakistani, but I don't have my identity card," another 22-year-old Bengali, Ahmed, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

Citizens can continue to use national identity card if they choose, which has been standard for decades in Switzerland.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2025

He was treated well, he said, but when he and other officers went back weeks later to claim an identity card, they were told to await instructions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025

An elderly fellow in a trilby, overalls and armband, with drooping jowls like a bulldog’s, detached himself and demanded to see her identity card.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan