identity card

American

noun

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

identity card British

noun

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

"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 identity card

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

"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

Costa, whose family hails from Goa, proudly flashed his Indian identity card at a press conference where Modi celebrated him as "the Gandhi of Lisbon".

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Citizens can still choose to rely on the national identity card, which has been standard in Switzerland for decades.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2025

This contains people's core documents such as passport, identity card and drivers' licence.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2025

I slowly unbuttoned my coat and withdrew my identity card from the pocket.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023