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• cape
  cape

  noun

  a sleeveless garment of various lengths, fastened around the neck and falling loosely from the shoulders, worn separately or attached to a coat or other outer garment.
• Cape
  Cape

  noun

  the SW region of South Africa, in Western Cape province

cape

¹ American  

[kayp] / keɪp /

noun

1. a sleeveless garment of various lengths, fastened around the neck and falling loosely from the shoulders, worn separately or attached to a coat or other outer garment.

2. the capa of a bullfighter.

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verb (used with object)

caped, caping

1. (of a matador or capeador during a bullfight) to induce and guide the charge of (a bull) by flourishing a capa.

cape ² American  

[kayp] / keɪp /

noun

1. a piece of land jutting into the sea or some other large body of water.

   Synonyms:

   spit, headland, promontory, point

2. the Cape.

   1. Northeastern U.S. Cape Cod.

   2. Cape of Good Hope.

3. capeskin.

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verb (used without object)

caped, caping

1. Nautical. (of a ship) to have good steering qualities.

adjective

1. Cape, pertaining to the Cape of Good Hope or to South Africa.

   a Cape diamond.

cape ¹ British  

/ keɪp /

noun

1. a headland or promontory

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Cape ² British  

/ keɪp /

noun

1. the SW region of South Africa, in Western Cape province

2. See Cape of Good Hope

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cape ³ British  

/ keɪp /

noun

1. a sleeveless garment like a cloak but usually shorter

2. a strip of material attached to a coat or other garment so as to fall freely, usually from the shoulders

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cape Scientific  

/ kāp /

1. A point or head of land projecting into a body of water.

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Other Word Forms

• caped
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cape¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from French cap(p)e, from Spanish capa or Italian cappa, from Late Latin cappa “hooded cloak”; see also cope ²

Origin of cape²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cap, from Middle French, from Old Provençal cap or Italian capo, from Vulgar Latin capum (unrecorded) for Latin caput “head”

Explanation

Superman is easily recognizable by his red cape, a sleeveless garment that hangs from his shoulders and rustles in the wind when he flies. The word cape comes from the Latin cappa meaning "covering for the head." Capes aren't just worn by superheroes. A poncho is a type of cape that you wear in the rain to stay dry. Speaking of water, a cape is also a stretch of land that extends into a body of water — like Cape Cod, which extends into the Atlantic Ocean.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cape Cape caped caping

Their first character was a 'superhero dolt', with a cape and a habit of falling down holes.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

I have a fancier fleece blanket that should work nicely for Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s cape.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Shipping lines reroute around the cape, war-risk premiums climb, and the costs show up in the price of nearly everything that reaches the U.S. by sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

This week, the leader of our second-most-popular political party could be unseated in an election by a man who wears a floor-length cape and a bin over his head.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

Seven ran, trying to grab the collar of Thorn’s cape, but it was too late.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

At the time of the ball-tampering controversy, Smith explained it was devised by the "leadership group" of the Australian team on the third day of the third Test in Cape Town.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Then there are passengers like the one sitting several rows behind him on a recent flight from Cape Town to Doha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

I’m also very close to South Africa, specifically Cape Town and Johannesburg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Fiji said last month it expected the heads of state for Antigua and Barbuda, Cape Verde, Thailand, the Maldives and Timor-Leste would attend.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Europeans who came ashore at Cape Cod in November of 1620 carried a view of the world that was based on the teachings of Christian religious reformer John Calvin.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

That belief is patently untrue, but more difficult to measure if filmmakers and studios refuse to take a real chance on their caped crusadettes.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

Presiding over the baddies, Jared Leto’s blue-skinned, caped, literally boneheaded man-demon Skeletor is meant to be the fiercest of antagonists, but even his own henchmen find his signature evil cackle to be a bit laughable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Cheering for such idealism used to feel corny; all the cool, caped crusaders had ethical kinks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025

In France, his caped and bearded figure became an emblem of Christian self-sacrifice.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2024

On the box, caped and gloved, the pink of fashion, sat no less a person than his lordship himself.

From The Great House by Stanley John Weyman

The pilgrimage, caping Salonen’s “Rituals,” involves dancer and choreographer Dimitri Chamblas, producer Kate Nordstrom and composer Tim Hecker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

"Superpower" has everything a doubting public could want in the way of reassurance, with its determined hero caping for an embattled nation and who happens to be a huge fan of its president.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2023

In others, however, the writers ply exhausted tropes conflating inclusive storytelling with white savior caping.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2023

All this somehow makes its history-inspired fabrication feel genuine and universal, caping the philosophy that ideals that make the common man super.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2022

This caping technique, which should be done before field dressing to avoid bloodying the hair and making invasive cuts that will be difficult for the taxidermist to conceal, leaves enough hide for a shoulder mount.

From Time Magazine Archive