serial number

American  

noun

• serial numbers
  plural

1. a number, usually one of a series, assigned for identification.

   the serial number of an automobile engine.

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serial number British  

noun

1. any of the consecutive numbers assigned to machines, tools, books, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• serial numbers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of serial number

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serial number

Video showing the debris began circulating on social media Monday, showing Yemenis gathered around the body of a missile, the lights of their mobile phones shining across its fins, motor and serial number.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Sellers must also provide relevant device information such as a product’s serial number to prove legitimacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Each bears a unique serial number and since 1950, winners have been prohibited from selling them on the open market without first offering them back to the organization for one dollar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

When sold to UK consumers, products should come with instructions written in clear English, and a batch or serial number for identification.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025

And they came to a shed where a corporal with only one arm and one eye wrote the name and serial number of each prisoner in a big, red ledger.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut