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

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Etymology

Origin of serial number

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serial number

Most race cars are identified by their chassis numbers, a serial number welded to a car’s metal frame.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

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

The text messages also included photos, including one of a Javelin missile system whose serial number matched one that he had signed out from the School of Infantry West, court documents show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2026

His has a photo of Paul Mescal as Sir Paul, and on the back has its own serial number.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

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

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