license plate

noun

: a plate or tag (as of metal) attesting that a license has been secured and usually bearing a registration number

Examples of license plate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More Minnesota communities are parting ways with Flock Safety and dropping the automatic license plate reading cameras. — Ashley Grams, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 As more Arkansas cities reconsider their use of Flock license plate readers, the cameras are becoming an issue in Sherwood's mayoral race. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2026 The cofounder and head honcho at Flock Safety, the increasingly infamous license plate reader company, is sitting across a small conference room table dressed like a country club attendant with a blue polo neatly tucked into brown pants. — Andrew Zucker, Vanity Fair, 14 Aug. 2026 Separately, in Kansas, a Sedgwick police chief used Flock license plate readers to track his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend’s vehicles 228 times over more than four months, The Wichita Eagle reported in 2024. — Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for license plate

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of license plate was circa 1924

Rhymes for license plate

See All Rhymes for license plate

Browse Nearby Words

license number
license plate
licensing law
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Cite this Entry

“License plate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/license%20plate. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

license plate

noun
: a plate or tag (as of metal) showing that a license has been gotten and usually bearing a registration number

More from Merriam-Webster on license plate

Nglish: Translation of license plate for Spanish Speakers

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