swipe card

noun

plural swipe cards
: a plastic card with a magnetic strip that has encoded information which can be read when the card is slid through an electronic card-reading device
… announced proposals to introduce electronic swipe cards for regular, pre-screened travelers that would allow them to bypass lengthy passport lines.Harvey Morris
… specialists were able to trace the messages to a remote location on campus and match their posting times to those when a certain student used his campus swipe card to get in and out of the same building.Barrett Seaman

Examples of swipe card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All campus buildings require swipe card access on Saturdays and Sundays. Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2023 All of Next Level’s pinball and arcade games are set to free play, so no coins or swipe cards are needed. Sswindler, oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2023 All buildings are locked outside of business hours with access limited to swipe card access. Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swipe card.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swipe card was in 1983

Dictionary Entries Near swipe card

Cite this Entry

“Swipe card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swipe%20card. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

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