cap
noun
a close-fitting covering for the head, usually of soft supple material and having no visor or brim.
Jump To:
cap
1 American
[kap]
/ kæp /
noun
-
a close-fitting covering for the head, usually of soft supple material and having no visor or brim.
-
a brimless head covering with a visor, such as a baseball cap.
-
a head covering that denotes rank, occupation, religious order, or the like.
a nurse's cap.
-
anything that resembles or suggests a covering for the head in shape, use, or position.
Please replace the cap on the toothpaste tube when finished using it.
-
a mobcap.
-
a maximum limit, such as one that is set by law or agreement on prices, wages, spending, etc., during a certain period of time; ceiling.
We've had to set a 3 percent cap on pay increases for this year.
-
Mycology. the pileus, or horizontal portion, of a mushroom.
-
Botany. calyptra.
-
Mathematics. the symbol ∩, used to indicate the intersection of two sets.
-
Mining. a short, horizontal beam at the top of a prop for supporting part of a roof.
-
a noise-making device for toy pistols that is made of a small quantity of explosive wrapped in paper or other thin material.
-
Chiefly British an instance of playing in an international game or match as part of a national team.
The 17-year-old has already got her first cap for Wales.
-
Slang. lying talk; exaggeration.
No way did you get two grand for that old wreck of a car—that’s cap.
I see movie stars in this bar all the time, no cap.
-
Chiefly British Slang. a contraceptive diaphragm.
-
Nautical. a fitting of metal placed over the head of a spar, as a mast or bowsprit, and having a collar for securing an additional spar.
-
a new tread that is applied to a worn tire.
-
Architecture. capital.
-
Carpentry. a metal plate placed over the iron of a plane to break the shavings as they rise.
-
Fox Hunting. capping fee.
verb (used with object)
capped,
capping
-
to close or cover with or as if with a cap.
Cap the jug of bleach tightly after each use.
-
to complete (often used withoff ).
We capped our dinner with a shared slice of chocolate cake.
A talent night involving all the campers capped off the week.
-
follow up with something as good or better; surpass; outdo.
to cap one joke with another.
-
to serve as a cap, covering, or top to; overlie.
Snow capped the distant peaks.
-
to put a maximum limit on (prices, wages, spending, etc.).
We’ve capped the contractor’s hours at 75 per month.
-
Chiefly British (of a national team) to play (a chosen player) in an international game or match (used in the passive).
He has been capped for Brazil.
She was capped by England twice.
verb (used without object)
capped,
capping
-
Slang. to lie or exaggerate.
Don't cap—no way that's your car.
-
Chiefly British to play in an international game or match as part of a national team.
She capped for England twice.
-
Fox Hunting. to hunt with a hunting club of which one is not a member, on payment of a capping fee.
idioms
-
set one's cap for,
-
to pursue as a potential mate.
He set his cap for the beautiful dancer.
-
to have as a goal or destination.
She had already set her cap for a career in politics.
Setting his cap for the big city, he packed his things and left.
-
-
cap in hand, humbly; in supplication.
He went to his father cap in hand and begged his forgiveness.
cap
2
American
[kap]
/ kæp /
noun
-
Usually caps uppercase.
Please set the underlined in caps.
verb (used with object)
capped,
capping
cap
3
American
[kap]
/ kæp /
noun
Slang.
CAP
4
American
Also
C.A.P.
abbreviation
-
Common Agricultural Policy: a coordinated system established in 1960 by the European Economic Community for stabilizing prices of farm products of its member countries.
-
computer-aided publishing.
-
Stock Exchange. convertible adjustable preferred (stock).
cap.
5
American
abbreviation
cap.
6
American
abbreviation
cap.
7
American
abbreviation
-
capacity.
-
capital.
-
capitalize.
-
capitalized.
-
capital letter.
-
foolscap.
cap
1
British
/ kæp /
noun
-
a covering for the head, esp a small close-fitting one made of cloth or knitted
-
such a covering serving to identify the wearer's rank, occupation, etc
a nurse's cap
-
something that protects or covers, esp a small lid or cover
lens cap
-
an uppermost surface or part
the cap of a wave
-
-
See percussion cap
-
a small amount of explosive enclosed in paper and used in a toy gun
-
-
sport
-
an emblematic hat or beret given to someone chosen for a representative team
he has won three England caps
-
a player chosen for such a team
-
-
the upper part of a pedestal in a classical order
-
the roof of a windmill, sometimes in the form of a dome
-
botany the pileus of a mushroom or toadstool
-
hunting
-
money contributed to the funds of a hunt by a follower who is neither a subscriber nor a farmer, in return for a day's hunting
-
a collection taken at a meet of hounds, esp for a charity
-
-
anatomy
-
the natural enamel covering a tooth
-
an artificial protective covering for a tooth
-
-
See Dutch cap
-
an upper financial limit
-
a mortarboard when worn with a gown at an academic ceremony (esp in the phrase cap and gown )
-
meteorol
-
the cloud covering the peak of a mountain
-
the transient top of detached clouds above an increasing cumulus
-
-
humbly, as when asking a favour
-
the allusion or criticism seems to be appropriate to a particular person
-
(of a woman) to be determined to win as a husband or lover
verb
-
to cover, as with a cap
snow capped the mountain tops
-
informal to outdo; excel
your story caps them all
to cap an anecdote
-
to provide the finishing touch
we had sun, surf, cheap wine, and to cap it all a free car
-
sport to select (a player) for a representative team
he was capped 30 times by Scotland
-
to seal off (an oil or gas well)
-
to impose an upper limit on the level of increase of (a tax, such as the council tax)
rate-capping
-
hunting to ask (hunt followers) for a cap
-
to award a degree to
cap.
2
British
abbreviation
-
capital
-
capitalize
-
capitalization
-
capital letter
CAP
3
British
abbreviation
cap
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cap1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English cappe “headdress, hat, cap,” Old English cæppe “hood, cape, cope,” from Late Latin cappa “hooded cloak, cap”; cf. cape 1
Origin of cap2
First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening
Origin of cap3
First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening of capsule
Origin of cap.5
From the Latin word capiat
Origin of cap.6
From Latin capitulum “small head, capital of a column, cross beam” or Latin caput “head, to, summit, person”
Explanation
A cap is a hat that fits snugly on your head. You might wear a bathing cap when you swim, to keep your hair dry. Many caps don't have brims, while hats often do. You can even describe someone's hair using the word cap: "She has a glossy cap of dark hair." Another kind of cap is a lid: "Put the cap back on the ginger ale or it'll go flat!" And to cap is to limit, as when a school caps the number of students at 500. The root is the Latin word caput, or "head."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There is normally a 25-percent cap on foreign broadcast ownership.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
On game days Araujo gets to the ballpark about 2½ hours before first pitch, pausing in the parking lot to pull on an Angels cap and jersey with his name on the back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Those flows have unexpectedly grown into a substantial supply of crude that had until recently helped cap oil prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Under the new changes, those who qualify for a second year will have to go into a ballot with a cap of 45,000, down from the 57,000 who qualified last year.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
I had learned a long time ago that when my grandpa had his thinking cap on, the best thing for me to do was to be patient, and above all, not to say anything.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
CAP Tactical Firearms sold 150 crime guns over that period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Capgemini CAP -4.37%decrease; red down pointing triangle said it expects artificial intelligence-related demand to fuel growth in 2026, after AI services lifted orders in last year’s final quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Paris-based Capgemini CAP 2.62%increase; green up pointing triangle said it would sell a division that provides consulting services to government agencies in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
"If it hadn't been for CAP, I don't know where I'd be."
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2025
CAP Rain had the pickup, so that left me on foot.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
A person Torre identified as an employee of Aspiration’s finance department, his face and voice obscured, recalled being told of the Leonard deal: “It was to circumvent the salary cap. LOL.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
"We're talking about rent prices in Lisbon that are higher than some of the richest areas of Berlin, for example, where there's been a rent cap. Not to mention the difference in wages," says Luís.
From BBC ● May 27, 2023
“We’re never going to agree to a cap. Let me start there. We don’t have a cap, we’re not going to agree to a cap,” Clark added.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2023
"I think that that is why it justifies a measure, a cap. We're in exceptional circumstances."
From Reuters ● Mar. 9, 2022
“You can’t wear a hunting cap. This is the Paradise Vendors’ uniform.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Every Bitcoin transaction is public, and the number of Bitcoin that will ever circulate has been arbitrarily capped at 21 million.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
A district could improve and still be capped, or see its eligibility shift “simply because the statewide average changed,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Negative convexity means potential price gains for investors from the bond are capped by falling interest rates because borrowers can pay off their loans long before maturity.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
And the previous Solheim Cup held on continental soil was a 2015 single point away win that capped an astonishing comeback by the United States in Germany.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The picture on the postcard was of a mountain, blue and rocky and capped with a white cone of snow.
From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart
He even added an electric 86-yard punt return for a score last Saturday, capping a three-week debut that appeared to announce the freshman as one of the most dynamic weapons in college football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
She was player of the match as they beat newly promoted Birmingham City 3-1, capping off her milestone appearance in the perfect way.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Leaders are instead pursuing measures such as capping cruise ship arrivals and restricting hotel construction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
JPMorgan hosted hundreds of SpaceX employees at its headquarters in Manhattan to celebrate the stock’s listing, capping off the event with a light show featuring rocket launches.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
She was all in white, with an elegantly beaded headdress capping her hair.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
