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yellow card

American  

noun

  1. Soccer. a yellow card shown by the referee to a player being cautioned for a violation.

yellow card British  

noun

  1. a card of a yellow colour displayed by a referee to indicate that a player has been officially cautioned for some offence

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to caution (a player) officially for some offence

"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

adjective

  1. serving as a warning; intended to warn

    a yellow card system is in place
"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.

The Arsenal defender escaped with a yellow card.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

So from Tinie Tempah's half-time show to a burning yellow card, here are some of the best, "not serious" bits.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Pollock ignored the cries of referee Andrew Brace to release a tackle and paid the price with another yellow card, and moments later Hill drove over to level the scores.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Saints were 12-0 down after 11 minutes as Christian Ambadiang and Theo Chabouni stunned the home side, before a penalty try and yellow card to Ambadiang gave the hosts a route back into the game.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He came to their houses twice a month to collect one dollar and sixty-eight cents and write down on a little yellow card both the date and their eighty-four cents a week payment.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.