license plate

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of license plate

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Employees, shaken by the encounter, wrote down his license plate and contacted the police.

From Los Angeles Times

Neves Valente said he expected authorities to find him quickly after an encounter with someone at Brown who saw his car’s license plate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Police called about a week after his report, notifying him that his Cadillac was spotted by license plate scanners in Compton and directed him to a tow yard where it was stored.

From Los Angeles Times

Go to any of Sporting Kansas City’s home games and check out the parking lot: Right there in KCK, Missouri license plates galore, something once unthinkable in my hometown.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one case earlier this year, an undocumented Central American couple with their 4-year-old son in the backseat was pulled over by a police officer in Lubbock over an issue with their vehicle’s license plate.

From Salon