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.

---

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

---

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

"The Tennessee license plate used to have a sign on it, or a little motto that said, 'Follow me to Tennessee,'" Bessent said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Kazakova was driving a white 2016 Mazda CX-5 with the California license plate 7SJW989, according to the alert.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Founded in 2017, Flock began by selling its solar-powered cameras, known as automated license plate readers, to neighborhood groups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

In an online demonstration for The Wall Street Journal, Weinstein showed how a law enforcement officer can search a complete or partial license plate, or terms like “white,” “Chevy,” “pickup truck.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

In the garage, he parks a Subaru with a personalized license plate.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel