license number
- noun
- /ˈlaɪsəns ˈnʌmbər/
- US
- The officer wrote down the license number of the car involved in the accident.
- driver's license number
- car's license number
- get the license number
Examples
-
I wrote down the license number of the Mercedes.
Fiction book (1995) -
Are you the owner of a brown Toyota Corolla license number ZSJ-959?
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You wanted the licence number off of that car.
-
- You got the license number of our car?
-
Get the licence number and we'll call it in, buddy.
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- Did anybody get a license number?
-
You got the license number?
-
As the car went by, I got the license number.
Fiction book (1991) -
The guard looked at our paperwork, wrote down our license number, and told us to go ahead.
Blog text (21) -
He saw the license number of the car.
Synonyms
A unique number shown on a vehicle's license plate to identify it
A unique code on a vehicle that identifies it
A code, number or name that stands for one record in a system
A number on a car's license plate that identifies the vehicle
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a unique alphanumeric code that authorizes a product' is directly derivable from combining 'license' (an authorization) with 'number' (an identifying numeric code); the phrase denotes the numeric identifier associated with a license. This is a straightforward, compositional noun-noun compound found across languages and common in software contexts, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun license number comes from the numbers and letters shown on a car's metal plate. People or police write that number down to find the owner or report a car, so it is used to 'identify' a vehicle.