license plate
noun/ˈlaɪsns pleɪt/
/ˈlaɪsns pleɪt/
(North American English) (British English number plate, registration plate)
- a metal or plastic plate on the front and back of a vehicle that shows its license number
- The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.
CultureIn Britain, vehicles have a white plate at the front and a yellow plate at the back. The system uses seven characters. The first two letters show the area in which the vehicle was first registered, and the next two numbers show the year the vehicle was made, for example 19 for the first part of 2019 and 69 for the second part of the same year. The final three letters are chosen randomly. The registration number of each new vehicle is registered with the DVLA and stays with the vehicle even if it moves to a new area or has a new owner.In the US, license plates are issued by the State government and contain enough letters and numbers for the number of cars in the state, so that small states have shorter registration numbers. They often use different colours, symbols and slogans related to the state. If the owner of a vehicle moves to a new state, they must get new license plates.Topics Transport by car or lorryc1Oxford Collocations DictionaryLicense plate is used before these nouns:- number
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license plate