license plate

American  

noun

• license plates
  plural

1. a plate or tag, usually of metal, bearing evidence of official registration and permission, as for the use of a motor vehicle.

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license plate British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): numberplate.  a plate mounted on the front and back of a motor vehicle bearing the registration number

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• license plates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of license plate

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

license plate

While at Leno’s garage Wednesday, Newsom also signed Assembly Bill 2541 into law, creating a special license plate to honor California’s lowrider heritage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Data from the license plate readers, known in law enforcement as LPRs, was searched 62,000 times in 2025, leading to about 1,660 cleared catalytic converter theft cases, a report from the authority said.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

But now she had her own sweet ride: “I even put ‘Ms.’ on my license plate, and you should see my grandkids’ faces when Grandma rides up on her purple Harley!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

A license plate and a vehicle’s exterior are exposed to anyone on a public road.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Until the only thing I feel is the cold metal of the license plate in my hand and the pounding of my blood.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven