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.
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.
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.
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.
Usually caps uppercase.
Please set the underlined in caps.
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).
capacity.
capital.
capitalize.
capitalized.
capital letter.
foolscap.
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
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
capital
capitalize
capitalization
capital letter
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
First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening
First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening of capsule
From the Latin word capiat
From Latin capitulum “small head, capital of a column, cross beam” or Latin caput “head, to, summit, person”
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nvidia shares fell 5%, ceding the title of largest U.S. company by market cap to Apple, after a report on a $250 billion OpenAI project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bush, who is on bail, arrived at court with his face covered with a baseball cap and scarf.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Sterling Construction has a market cap of $20.3 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Donald helped the Rams cap the 2021 season with a victory in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The boy in the front, wearing a red cap, waves to us.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
That success, and the money that nourishes it, has battalions of fans beyond Los Angeles all but marching outside ballparks with picket signs reading “SALARY CAP NOW.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
CAP Tactical Firearms sold 150 crime guns over that period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 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
CAP referred her to food banks as she was "struggling to put food in the cupboards" and helped her get fuel vouchers for gas and electric.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
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
“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
“It’s just a money grab, right? It’s a business. It’s another opportunity for us to continue to increase our salary cap. So we’ll get out there and do it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2022
"I think that that is why it justifies a measure, a cap. We're in exceptional circumstances."
From Reuters ● Mar. 9, 2022
“A standing cat with a baseball cap. I like it. I like it very much.”
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
The tech-heavy Nasdaq capped off the week 7.8% below its record close from early June, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
This means officials expect that tariffs on EU goods will generally be capped at 15 percent, as outlined in the deal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The 46-year-old, capped once by Portugal in his playing career, moved from Gil Vicente and will be aiming to return Wolves to the Premier League at the first attempt.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It capped a month of massive viewing for the quadrennial tournament.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
I heard Danny’s capped shoes in the apartment hallway outside the study.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
This month, SK hynix soared 13 percent on its first day of trading on Wall Street, capping one of the world's biggest ever stock sales.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Preston Bus says it cannot confirm whether it will join a new government scheme capping single fares at £2 from January because it has not been told how operators will be reimbursed.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
A proposal under the Obama administration suggested capping total tax-advantaged retirement balances to a little more than $3 million.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The practice, known as capping, was outlawed over concerns it allows law firms to exploit victims in pursuit of hefty payouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Dede sighs, capping her pen and closing the book.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
