Meaning & use
a yellow card
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Meanings
nouncountablesport
In football and similar sports, a small yellow card shown by the referee to warn a player for breaking the rules.
Grammar: Often used with 'get', 'receive', 'show', or 'give': the referee showed him a yellow card.
Patterns
- get a yellow card
- receive a yellow card
- show someone a yellow card
- a yellow card for something
The defender got a yellow card for pulling his opponent's shirt.
She received a yellow card after arguing with the referee.
Two yellow cards in one match mean the player is sent off.
nouncountableBritish
A yellow card used in some countries as an official warning or notice, especially about a health or safety matter.
Grammar: Usually appears in fixed phrases such as 'yellow card scheme' or 'yellow card warning'.
Patterns
- a yellow card warning
- the yellow card scheme
The restaurant was given a yellow card warning after a failed inspection.
Under the yellow card scheme, patients can report side effects of medicines.
Word forms
| plural | yellow cards |
|---|
Common combinations
- get a yellow card
- The midfielder got a yellow card in the first half.
- show someone a yellow card
- The referee showed the captain a yellow card.
- a yellow card for dissent
- He was booked with a yellow card for dissent.
- pick up a yellow card
- She picked up a yellow card early in the game.
- on a yellow card
- The player was already on a yellow card and had to be careful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- booking
- British football slang for the same warning; it is informal and common in match reports, while 'yellow card' is the standard term.
- caution
- The official term in the laws of the game; it is more formal and covers the warning itself, not the card shown.
Opposites
Word family
- red card noun
- A card shown to send a player off the field.
- book verb
- To officially record a player's name after a yellow card.
Commonly confused: a yellow card or red card?
a yellow card vs red card
A red card means the player is sent off immediately; a yellow card is only a warning. Two yellow cards in one match lead to a red card.
Practice
A player receives a second yellow card in the same match. What happens?
Choose one answer.
Two yellow cards in one match produce a red card, so the player must leave the field. A single yellow card is only a warning, which is why option 0 is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a yellow card”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.