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

Instead they take still images of vehicles, capturing the make, model, color, license plate data and other distinguishing features such as bumper stickers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

In only a few years, the surveillance start-up Flock has installed more than 100,000 license plate reader cameras across the United States.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

A license plate circulated on chat networks, and agents later swapped it out.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Barragan’s office conducted a review of the police department’s use of automatic license plate readers over a two-month period from August to September 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

It looked like a small, square book, except the cover was an old Massachusetts license plate.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen