Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

index card

American  

noun

  • index cards
    plural
  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.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of index card

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

See Examples For:

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

Sitting among dozens of football players in the Rams locker room at SoFi Stadium, the quarterback explained why he had ripped an index card with the word “Black” on it.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 20, 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

I could have typed up my mom's index card and called it a Big Little Recipe and done.

From Salon Apr. 11, 2022

Jessie went to the kitchen desk and got an index card.

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training