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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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of license plate

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I acquired the license plate via a 4K traffic camera at the intersection, a camera you could not see.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

The Riverside County legislator alleges that this conduct was in retaliation for a bill she authored seeking to restrict how law enforcement agencies store and use data from automatic license plate readers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The viewing sessions got more serious after Cicero told his friends he went to a trivia night and was stumped by a question on the license plate on Jerry’s Saab convertible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Officers later broadcast the vehicle’s description and a license plate reader captured the vehicle passing through Benedict Canyon, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 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