Phrase guide

high card

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A hand which has no pairs and is not a straight or a flush, and is the lowest possible winning hand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: card-games, poker

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An honor card, specifically, a jack, queen, king or ace, that is crucial in determining the strength of a hand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: bridge, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: висока карта (visoka karta) — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Chinese Mandarin: 高牌 (gāopái) — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大牌 (dàpái) — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Czech: vysoká karta — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Danish: højeste kort — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Finnish: hai — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • French: carte haute — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Hungarian: magas lap — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Icelandic: hátt einspil — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Icelandic: háspil — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Italian: carta alta — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Japanese: ハイカード (hai kādo) — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Korean: 하이 카드 (hai kadeu) — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Māori: mātāmua — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Polish: wysoka karta — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Turkish: beş benzemez — lowest possible winning hand in poker
  • Bulgarian: оньор (onjor) — an honor card