playing card
compound. A2 Elementary
compound. one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper with numbers and pictures used for games.
compound. a rectangular piece of heavy paper or plastic, typically part of a set of 52, used for gaming or gambling. Countable noun.
He dealt each person a playing card.
She shuffled the deck and asked me to pick a playing card for the magic trick.
The archaeologist discovered a preserved playing card from the seventeenth century, suggesting that such pastimes were common among the local garrison.
Usage
usually used in the plural when referring to the set or the activity of gaming.
Teaching tip
teach alongside related collective nouns like 'deck' or 'pack' of cards; note that 'playing' is often dropped in casual conversation once the context is established.