vanity plate

noun

: a license plate bearing letters or numbers designated by the owner of the vehicle

called also vanity license plate

Examples of vanity 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.
Kentucky and other states across the country have had to deal with vanity plates that at first blush appear to be problematic. Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Oct. 2025 The bill would have allowed motorists willing to pay an additional $48 to use eight-letter words on vanity plates. Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026 Since Kansas vanity plates have to follow the state vehicle law, a court would need to find that the state law violates the First Amendment. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025 For now, the agency is not offering any timeline for restarting vanity plate applications in Rhode Island. Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 14 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vanity plate

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vanity plate was in 1966

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Cite this Entry

“Vanity plate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vanity%20plate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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