punch card

American  

Or punchcard,

noun

1. a card having holes punched in specific positions and patterns so as to represent data to be stored or processed mechanically, electrically, or photoelectrically.

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Etymology

Origin of punch card

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

And to ensure she’s not letting 2026 go by without adding a stamp to her TV punch card, Nicole Kidman is also part of the stacked cast.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

This happens when you get a punch card at a coffee shop or nail salon, for instance.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

The men running the hastily reconfigured computation lab had ordered a collection of IBM punch card accounting machines, which were almost identical to the type of machines Naomi had been using back at Princeton.

From Scientific American • Aug. 3, 2023

After the funerals, which were nine days apart, we were coming back to the mortuary, like, "Do we get a punch card? Is there free coffee?"

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2023

“It is recommended,” Mr. Saltman said flatly, “that the use of pre-scored punch card ballots be ended.”

From New York Times • May 5, 2023