postcard

American  

[pohst-kahrd] / ˈpoʊstˌkɑrd /

Or post card

noun

1. Also called picture postcard.  a small, commercially printed card, usually having a picture on one side and space for a short message on the other.

2. postal card.

---

postcard British  

/ ˈpəʊstˌkɑːd /

noun

1. Also called (US): postal card.  a card, often bearing a photograph, picture, etc, on one side, ( picture postcard ), for sending a message by post without an envelope

---

Etymology

Origin of postcard

First recorded in 1865–70; post ³ + card ¹

Example Sentences

Still, hundreds of families sat out under mild, cloudy skies, picnicking amid sweeping views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains -- a postcard scene at odds with a city under regular attack.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

The Oregon law provides that a plaintiff “shall receive statutory damages in an amount of $6,250 per incident,” which could be each individual postcard sent to a union member.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The postcard was one of 1,000 - each featuring a different member of the Fab Four - which were distributed at Beatles landmarks around Liverpool as well as in New York, Tokyo and Hamburg.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

“From my living-room window as I write,” she assures her readers, “I can look out across the broad front lawns of our farm… like a lovely picture postcard of wintry New England.”

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

What if Camille goes through my clothes and finds the postcard?

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• answer
• memo
• memorandum
• message
• note
• reply
• report