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• cap
  cap

  noun

  a close-fitting covering for the head, usually of soft supple material and having no visor or brim.
• CAP
  CAP

  abbreviation

  Civil Air Patrol.
• cap.
  cap.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) let the patient take.

cap

¹ American  

[kap] / kæp /

noun

1. a close-fitting covering for the head, usually of soft supple material and having no visor or brim.

2. a brimless head covering with a visor, such as a baseball cap.

3. a head covering that denotes rank, occupation, religious order, or the like.

   a nurse's cap.

4. mortarboard.

5. 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.

6. a mobcap.

7. 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.

8. summit; top; apex; acme.

9. Mycology. the pileus, or horizontal portion, of a mushroom.

10. Botany. calyptra.

11. Mathematics. the symbol ∩, used to indicate the intersection of two sets.

12. Mining. a short, horizontal beam at the top of a prop for supporting part of a roof.

13. a percussion cap.

14. a noise-making device for toy pistols that is made of a small quantity of explosive wrapped in paper or other thin material.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Chiefly British Slang. a contraceptive diaphragm.

18. 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.

19. a new tread that is applied to a worn tire.

20. Architecture. capital.

21. Carpentry. a metal plate placed over the iron of a plane to break the shavings as they rise.

22. Fox Hunting. capping fee.

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verb (used with object)

capped, capping

1. to close or cover with or as if with a cap.

   Cap the jug of bleach tightly after each use.

2. 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.

3. follow up with something as good or better; surpass; outdo.

   to cap one joke with another.

4. to serve as a cap, covering, or top to; overlie.

   Snow capped the distant peaks.

5. to put a maximum limit on (prices, wages, spending, etc.).

   We’ve capped the contractor’s hours at 75 per month.

6. 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

1. Slang. to lie or exaggerate.

   Don't cap—no way that's your car.

2. Chiefly British to play in an international game or match as part of a national team.

   She capped for England twice.

3. Fox Hunting. to hunt with a hunting club of which one is not a member, on payment of a capping fee.

idioms

1. set one's cap for,

   1. to pursue as a potential mate.

      He set his cap for the beautiful dancer.

   2. 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.

2. cap in hand, humbly; in supplication.

   He went to his father cap in hand and begged his forgiveness.

cap ² American  

[kap] / kæp /

noun

1. a capital letter.

2. Usually caps uppercase.

   Please set the underlined in caps.

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verb (used with object)

capped, capping

1. to write or print in capital letters, or make an initial letter a capital; capitalize.

cap ³ American  

[kap] / kæp /

noun

Slang.

1. a capsule, especially of a narcotic drug.

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CAP ⁴ American  

Also C.A.P.

abbreviation

1. Civil Air Patrol.

2. Common Agricultural Policy: a coordinated system established in 1960 by the European Economic Community for stabilizing prices of farm products of its member countries.

3. computer-aided publishing.

4. Stock Exchange. convertible adjustable preferred (stock).

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cap. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) let the patient take.

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cap. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. chapter.

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cap. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. capacity.

2. capital.

3. capitalize.

4. capitalized.

5. capital letter.

6. foolscap.

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cap ¹ British  

/ kæp /

noun

1. a covering for the head, esp a small close-fitting one made of cloth or knitted

2. such a covering serving to identify the wearer's rank, occupation, etc

   a nurse's cap

3. something that protects or covers, esp a small lid or cover

   lens cap

4. an uppermost surface or part

   the cap of a wave

5. 1. See percussion cap

   2. a small amount of explosive enclosed in paper and used in a toy gun

6. sport

   1. an emblematic hat or beret given to someone chosen for a representative team

      he has won three England caps

   2. a player chosen for such a team

7. the upper part of a pedestal in a classical order

8. the roof of a windmill, sometimes in the form of a dome

9. botany the pileus of a mushroom or toadstool

10. hunting

    1. 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

    2. a collection taken at a meet of hounds, esp for a charity

11. anatomy

    1. the natural enamel covering a tooth

    2. an artificial protective covering for a tooth

12. See Dutch cap

13. an upper financial limit

14. a mortarboard when worn with a gown at an academic ceremony (esp in the phrase cap and gown )

15. meteorol

    1. the cloud covering the peak of a mountain

    2. the transient top of detached clouds above an increasing cumulus

16. humbly, as when asking a favour

17. the allusion or criticism seems to be appropriate to a particular person

18. (of a woman) to be determined to win as a husband or lover

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verb

1. to cover, as with a cap

   snow capped the mountain tops

2. informal to outdo; excel

   your story caps them all

   to cap an anecdote

3. to provide the finishing touch

   we had sun, surf, cheap wine, and to cap it all a free car

4. sport to select (a player) for a representative team

   he was capped 30 times by Scotland

5. to seal off (an oil or gas well)

6. to impose an upper limit on the level of increase of (a tax, such as the council tax)

   rate-capping

7. hunting to ask (hunt followers) for a cap

8. to award a degree to

cap. ² British  

abbreviation

1. capital

2. capitalize

3. capitalization

4. capital letter

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CAP ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Common Agricultural Policy: (in the EU) the system for supporting farm incomes by maintaining agricultural prices at agreed levels

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cap More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cap

• feather in one's cap
• hat
• hat (cap) in hand
• if the shoe (cap) fits, wear it
• put on one's thinking cap
• set one's cap for

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Other Word Forms

• capper
  noun
• capless
  adjective

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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”

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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

See Examples For:

cap CAP cap. capped capping

The company has seen $1.4 billion in market cap evaporate since the peak a month ago.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

"I've been waiting for decades for this kind of a night," said Chuck Schmidt, the former Democratic state rep, beaming widely under his University of Kansas baseball cap.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Toulouse full-back Juan Cruz Mallia returns to win a first cap since November 2025 after injury.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Yet the share of national wages above that cap has grown for decades as earnings concentrated at the top.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

He twists the cap off in one quick motion.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

I saw her aptitude firsthand as I tailed her around CAP.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

CAP Tactical Firearms sold 150 crime guns over that period.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

CAP Tactical was closed on Sunday and Monday and a call requesting comment was not returned by Monday afternoon.

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

CAP Rain had the pickup, so that left me on foot.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

The person alleged in an interview that the sponsorship deal was “1,000% a way to circumvent the salary cap. It was funneling money from the Clippers through Daktronics back to Kawhi.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

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 support proposals to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap. We also urge the government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket sales."

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025

“They always spend to the cap. And I assure you they want to be a competitive team as much as the most passionate fans of the Flyers.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2022

“You can’t wear a hunting cap. This is the Paradise Vendors’ uniform.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

As of Sept. 30, Amazon said it held 164 million shares of Anthropic’s nonvoting preferred stock and convertible notes, which it estimates to be worth about $146.2 billion, although its stake is capped at 12%.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

Its ownership is capped at 14.99% of Anthropic’s outstanding shares, according to a filing.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

If passed, the credit would be the country’s largest capped film and TV tax credit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

The mixed market response suggests that the U.S. dollar gains may be capped, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

I could hear Danny’s capped shoes tapping against the outside hallway floor.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Mark Toney, executive director of the Utilities Reform Network, called the idea of permanently capping shareholders’ liabilities for fires “completely unacceptable.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

India's Jio Platforms makes its stock market debut on Wednesday after a record-breaking IPO, capping billionaire owner Mukesh Ambani's years-long drive to diversify his conglomerate beyond oil refining.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

On 20 April 2024, Fleetwood's relegation from League One was confirmed, capping off a miserable season for the club on the pitch.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Eni has sought to damp the effects in Italy by capping diesel prices for a period, and offering discounts on fuel for certain economic sectors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

He says, “There! That has to be one of the capping pieces. Look at the old spike that held it in place. There’s the board we cut the circle from.”

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor

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Related Words

• beat
• clinch
• complete
• cover
• crown
• eclipse
• exceed
• finish
• surpass
• wrap up

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