license plate

noun

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

license plate

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of license plate¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

During the trip, Buzzard switched license plates on her rental car and wore wigs in what investigators described as possible attempts to avoid detection.

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Berkeley police used automatic license plate readers to track Alford’s car in the area before and after the burglary.

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“I got their ... license plates on my phone!” a woman yelled to no one in particular.

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The mother is believed to have traveled around 3,000 miles during a four-day road trip replete with bizarre details — including switching license plates and putting her daughter in a wig.

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She’d seen a car like it in the hotel parking lot with a National Guard license plate on the back.

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