SIM card

American  

[sim] / sɪm /

noun

1. Subscriber Identity/Identification Module: a removable card inside a cell phone that stores data unique to the user, as an identification number, passwords, phone numbers, and messages.

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SIM Card British  

acronym

1. subscriber identity module card; a small card used in a mobile phone to store data about the network, telephone number, etc

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Etymology

Origin of SIM card

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

She plans to "buy another SIM card to download Max on another phone."

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

The hackers likely executed a “SIM swap,” tricking a mobile provider into transferring a phone number to a SIM card the hackers control.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

The surgeon then inserts a microchip shaped like a SIM card, only 2mm by 2mm, beneath the central retina through a small opening.

From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2025

But even Apple isn't abandoning the physical SIM card altogether.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025

Many countries will allow you to purchase a pre-paid SIM card for service after you arrive in-country for use with your existing smartphone or another you buy abroad.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2019