cd

cd — noun

1. a round plastic disc that stores music, computer files, or other information. Yo

1.nounA1
Definition

a round plastic disc that stores music, computer files, or other information. You use it by putting it into a CD player or a computer, and a laser reads the data from its surface.

Example

Priya put the new CD into her player and sat down to listen.

article + noun: the CD, her player — possessive before player

The librarian found an old CD with photos from the school trip.

Common collocations
  • play a CD
  • listen to a CD
  • burn a CD
  • record onto a CD
  • buy a CD
  • a CD collection
  • a CD case
  • a CD cover
Synonyms
  • compact disc

    the full, formal term — rarely used in everyday conversation

  • disc

    a more general word that can also refer to DVDs or vinyl records

Grammar Patterns

a / the / one CD

CD (singular) → CDs (plural)

on CD (medium format, no article)

Usage Note

CD is usually written in capital letters. The word stands for 'compact disc', but the full form is rarely used in everyday speech. A CD is the disc itself, not the machine that plays it — that machine is called a CD player or CD drive.

Common Mistakes

I burned a DVD of my favourite songs.
I burned a CD of my favourite songs.
Music albums are usually recorded onto CDs; DVDs are for films and video.
Please put the CD player on the table.' (when meaning the disc)
Please put the CD on the table.
The CD player is the machine; the CD is the round disc.

Word family

  • CD player
    nounA1
  • compact disc
    nounA2
  • CD-ROM
    nounB1
  • rewritable CD
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

CD, DVD, vinyl record, cassette tape, and USB drive are all ways to store music or data, but each works differently. A CD stores digital information read by a laser and holds about 80 minutes of audio. A DVD looks similar but stores much more data — enough for a full-length film. A vinyl record is a large black disc played with a needle; it has a warmer, analogue sound. A cassette tape is a small plastic box with magnetic tape inside; it is older technology and the sound quality is lower. A USB drive is a small electronic device with no moving parts, used mainly for computer files. In daily conversation, people say 'I bought the CD' for music albums, but 'I saved it on a USB drive' for computer documents.

DVD ↗vinyl recordcassette tapeUSB drive

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • play a CD
  • burn a CD
  • record onto a CD
  • listen to a CD
  • put a CD in

Prepositions

  • on CD
  • from a CD
  • onto a CD
  • in a CD player

Etymology

English (abbreviation)English (compact disc)coined 1982 (Philips/Sony)

CD is an abbreviation for 'compact disc', a word that was invented in the early 1980s when Philips and Sony developed the technology. 'Compact' meant smaller than the large vinyl records people used before; 'disc' refers to its flat, round shape. The name describes both its size and its form.