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.
Misreads of license plates leading to innocent people being held at gunpoint and in one case attacked by a K-9 stirred up further concern, said Max Isaacs, director of law and policy at the New York University Policing Project. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Ryan is believed to be operating a 2016 gray Toyota Prius with a New York license plate, HNH-7671, police said. — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026 San Jose has nearly 500 license plate reader cameras installed throughout the city. — Maddie White, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026 Stewart called 911 and gave police the license plate number of the vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, and a description of the driver. — Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 7 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“License plate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/license%20plate. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All