cardboard

1 of 2

noun

card·​board ˈkärd-ˌbȯrd How to pronounce cardboard (audio)
: a material made from cellulose fiber (such as wood pulp) like paper but usually thicker
cardboardy adjective

cardboard

2 of 2

adjective

1
: made of or as if of cardboard
2
: unreal, stereotyped
a play with cardboard characters

Examples of cardboard in a Sentence

Noun Cover the windows with cardboard. Adjective The play had cardboard characters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
For an even easier option, layer autumn leaves, twigs, and compost on top of cardboard and build soil for a new garden using the lasagna gardening technique. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Nov. 2025 Earlier Monday, four students were arrested and cited with felony vandalism while attempting to hang a large insect made out of cardboard on Sather Gate. Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
The packaging may still arrive in a box, but the business inside has moved far beyond the cardboard era. Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Polos, walking home from the theatre late at night, still wearing his makeup, ashes in a cardboard urn in his backpack. Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cardboard

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1789, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cardboard was in 1789

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cardboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cardboard. Accessed 23 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

cardboard

noun
card·​board
ˈkärd-ˌbō(ə)rd
-ˌbȯ(ə)rd
: a material made from cellulose fiber (as wood pulp) like paper but usually thicker

More from Merriam-Webster on cardboard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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