Definition

Noun A rectangular metal or plastic plate, typically mounted on the front and rear of a motor vehicle, that displays a unique alphanumeric registration number issued by a government authority. Its primary function is to identify the vehicle for legal and administrative purposes.

Usage

The term "license plate" is used to refer to the physical object displaying a vehicle's official registration. It is a standard compound noun. * You must have a valid license plate on your car to drive legally. * The police officer noted the license plate number of the speeding vehicle. * I need to replace my old, rusty license plate.

Advanced Usage

• "To run a plate": A law enforcement idiom meaning to check a license plate number in an official database to obtain information about the vehicle and its owner.
  • The officer radioed dispatch to run the plate of the suspicious car.
• Vanity plate / Personalized plate: A type of license plate where the vehicle owner pays for a custom, often word-based, registration number.
  • His vanity plate reads "FASTCAR".

Variants and Related Words

• Number plate (noun): The common term for "license plate" in British English and many other Commonwealth countries.
  • The car had a UK number plate.
• Registration plate (noun): A more formal synonym for "license plate," emphasizing its link to vehicle registration.
• Plates (noun, informal): A common shortened form used in context.
  • Did you get new plates for your car yet?
• Temporary tag / Temporary plate (noun): A short-term paper license plate issued when a vehicle is newly purchased or its registration is being processed.

Synonyms

• Registration plate
• Number plate (chiefly British English)

Related Phrases

• License plate frame: A decorative or protective border that surrounds the license plate.
• License plate light: A small white light required to illuminate the rear license plate at night.
• To have plates from [State/Country]: To describe the origin of a vehicle's registration.
  • That truck has plates from Texas.

Noun

1. a plate mounted on the front and back of car and bearing the car's registration number