bottle cap

American  

noun

1. a device for closing or sealing a bottle, especially a metal cover with a cork gasket fitting tightly over the mouth of a glass or plastic bottle, held in place by crimping the edge of the cap over the lip or flange of the bottle.

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Etymology

Origin of bottle cap

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

After Porkchop swam off, several aquarium staffers gathered trash from the river, including roughly 20 golf balls, a Volkswagen car emblem, cut-up credit card, teal plastic line, a bottle cap.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

He was armed with nothing but an oversized bottle cap on his back.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2024

“During our experiments with tactile sensors,” he says, “we found that tasks like unstacking cups and opening a bottle cap were significantly harder—and perhaps more useful—than rotating objects.”

From Scientific American • Jul. 31, 2023

They gave him water to drink from a bottle cap before pulling him out of the wreckage, nearly 45 hours after the major quake.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2023

Jessie carefully positioned the water bottle in the wire cage, aimed the spout into the base of the funnel, then unscrewed the bottle cap.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser