vanity plate

noun

1. a vehicle license plate bearing a combination of letters or numbers requested by the licensee, as a name or occupation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanity plate¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Gardner even tricked out his 1973 Cadillac Eldorado to be an extension of the saloon, with a “HYEWEST” vanity plate, longhorns over the front and a button inside that made the car moo, which his son liked to press.

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In addition to a “HYEWEST” vanity plate and longhorns on the front, there was a button inside that would make the car moo.

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A spokesman for the Delaware Department of Transportation said the agency will review the decision before commenting on it and the future of the vanity plate program.

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In Delaware, no vanity plate can be issued if it is “considered to be obscene” by DMV officials.

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An Ohio man filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month after his application for a vanity plate reading “F46 LGB” was rejected in 2022.

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