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

At Chicago, the university said a person of interest has been identified through eye witnesses, video cameras and license plate readers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Several council members voiced unease about proceeding without a better sense of the LAPD’s internal policy on license plate reader use.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The cameras will take a photo of the speeding vehicle’s license plate, with the license plate data used to identify the registered vehicle’s owner on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Waller said in an interview after the presentation that misinformation about the cameras is rampant online, and he called automated license plate readers a helpful and natural improvement in policing.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Officers Ocie Pigford and Francis Macauley carried in their heads pages of memorized data, including a description of a black-and-white 1956 Chevrolet bearing Kansas license plate No. Jo 16212.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote