index card

American  

noun

1. a card, often relatively small, as 3 × 5 inches (7.6 × 12.7 centimeters), used in noting or recording information and usually filed in an index.

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Etymology

Origin of index card

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

When the NFL draft begins on Thursday night, Commissioner Roger Goodell will hardly need to glance at an index card to know that the Raiders intended to use the first overall pick on Mendoza.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

At times during the season, when multiple players were on minutes limits, Lue was asked to coach off an index card that outlined preferred rotation patterns.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2023

I keep a picture of that young boy now in my studio, one I cut out from a newspaper and mounted on an index card.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2023

Photographers snapped the president holding up the outward-facing index card during a brief press availability in the Roosevelt Room to kick off the meeting.

From Washington Times • Jun. 24, 2022

One night in December, I brought a pink index card to dinner with me.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin