trading card

American

noun

one of a set of small cards, as one depicting professional athletes, either sold separately or included as a premium with packages of bubblegum or the like, collected and traded, especially by children.

trading card British

noun

any of a set of cards printed with images or information relating to a specific subject, intended to be traded between collectors seeking to acquire a full set

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

In the days after the break-in, Celestial Collectibles saw nearby trading card shops donating stock and even children bringing in their own card collections to donate.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The phenomenon has evolved since the first 1996 game release with anime series, movies, a trading card game and the augmented reality smartphone app "Pokemon Go".

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

An animated TV series, movies, a trading card game and the mega-hit mobile game Pokémon Go! have all helped to win fans across the globe.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

“We want you to know that we’re listening,” the company that has become the dominant force in licensed sports merchandise and trading card markets in recent years said in a Feb. 2 statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

Nico tossed another trading card into the blue flames.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023