Phrase guide

punch card

noun · 4 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 card that can have holes or notches cut in it, especially one for storing data, that can be sorted according to combinations of holes present or absent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A card that can have holes or notches cut in it, especially one for storing data, that can be sorted according to combinations of holes present or absent.

Such a card, the size of a US dollar bill and having 80 columns of 12 rows, used in early mainframe computers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A card given to a customer and punched with a hole at each purchase, allowing a reward to be claimed when fully punched.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a card on which data can be recorded in the form of punched holes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: punched card, Hollerith card

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: card

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: перфокарта (perfokarta) — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Chinese Mandarin: 打孔卡 (dǎkǒngkǎ) — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Czech: děrný štítek — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Danish: hulkort — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Dutch: ponskaart — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Finnish: reikäkortti — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • French: carte perforée — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • German: Lochkarte — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Hungarian: lyukkártya — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Icelandic: gataspjald — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Irish: tollchárta — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Italian: scheda perforata — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Japanese: パンチカード (panchi kādo) — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Lithuanian: perfokorta — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Polish: karta dziurkowana — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Portuguese: cartão perfurado — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Romanian: cartelă perforată — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Russian: перфока́рта (perfokárta) — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Serbo-Croatian: бу̑шена̄ ка̀ртица — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Serbo-Croatian: bȗšenā kàrtica — card with have holes or notches used for storing data
  • Swedish: hålkort — card with have holes or notches used for storing data