vehicle identification number

noun

A mandatory unique alphanumeric code (usually 17 characters long) assigned to each vehicle produced, stamped into the metal on the dashboard on the left-hand side (viewable through the windshield), and on the engine block and at least one other place somewhere on the body of the vehicle.

Meanings

vehicle identification number1

nounvehicle identification number (plural vehicle identification numbers)

plural vehicle identification numbers · alternative Vehicle Identification Number

  1. A mandatory unique alphanumeric code (usually 17 characters long) assigned to each vehicle produced, stamped into the metal on the dashboard on the left-hand side (viewable through the windshield), and on the engine block and at least one other place somewhere on the body of the vehicle.
    1 more example

    Seller of used car, who had fraudulently represented to buyer that the vehicle identification number (VIN) had been scratched out under windshield because former owner had been trying to prevent repossession of the car, was liable to buyer for punitive damages, based on having acted willfully or with reckless disregard for the consequences of the seller's conduct, even if the seller had not known the car had been "chop shopped" from two different vehicles.

    1961, American Jurisprudence Proof of Facts, Annotated, Bancroft-Whitney Company

Vehicle Identification Number2

nounVehicle Identification Number (plural Vehicle Identification Numbers)

plural Vehicle Identification Numbers

  1. alternativeAlternative form of vehicle identification number.

Translations

Finnish ajoneuvon tunnusnumero
  • ajoneuvon tunnusnumeroVIN
German Fahrzeug-Identifizierungsnummer
  • Fahrzeug-IdentifizierungsnummerVIN
Hungarian alvázszám
  • alvázszámVIN
Italian numero di telaio
  • numero di telaioVIN
Norwegian Bokmål understellsnummer
  • understellsnummerVIN
Swedish VIN-kod
  • VIN-kodVIN
Cite this entry
APA

vehicle identification number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vehicle%20identification%20number

MLA

“vehicle identification number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vehicle%20identification%20number. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vehicle identification number,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vehicle%20identification%20number.

Source: vehicle identification number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.