capitalize

American  

[kap-i-tl-ahyz] / ˈkæp ɪ tlˌaɪz /

especially British, capitalise

verb (used with object)

• capitalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• capitalized,
  past participle,  past
• capitalizing
  present participle

1. to write or print in capital letters letters or with an initial capital letter.

2. to authorize a certain amount of stocks and bonds in the corporate charter of.

   to capitalize a corporation.

3. to issue stock as a dividend, thereby capitalizing retained earnings, or as settlement of an unpaid arrearage of preferred dividends.

4. Accounting. to set up (expenditures) as business assets in the books of account instead of treating as expense.

5. to supply with capital.

6. to estimate the value of (a stock or an enterprise).

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verb (used without object)

• capitalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• capitalized,
  past participle,  past
• capitalizing
  present participle

1. to take advantage of; turn something to one's advantage (often followed byon ).

   to capitalize on one's opportunities.

   Synonyms:

   utilize, exploit

capitalize British  

/ ˈkæpɪtəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to take advantage (of); profit (by)

2. to write or print (text) in capital letters or with the first letter of (a word or words) in capital letters

3. to convert (debt or retained earnings) into capital stock

4. to authorize (a business enterprise) to issue a specified amount of capital stock

5. to provide with capital

6. accounting to treat (expenditures) as assets

7. 1. to estimate the present value of (a periodical income)

   2. to compute the present value of (a business) from actual or potential earnings

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Usage

What does capitalize mean? To capitalize a word is to make its first letter a capital letter—an uppercase letter. For example, to capitalize the word polish (which is here spelled with a lowercase p), you would write it as Polish. A word whose first letter is a capital can be described as capitalized. The state of being capitalized (or the process of capitalizing) is called capitalization, as in Please check your paper for proper punctuation and capitalization.  In English, words are capitalized for a few different reasons. It is considered a standard rule of English to capitalize proper nouns (which are nouns that refer to specific people, places, or things—meaning one’s that have specific names), such as Jess, Mexico, and Nintendo. Capitalizing a word can change the way the reader interprets its meaning, as in the case of polish (a verb meaning to make something shinier) and Polish (an adjective describing someone from Poland) or apple (the fruit) and Apple (the company). We also capitalize the first word in a sentence. Sometimes, we capitalize the first letter of each word in a title, as in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Example: A lot of people don’t bother to capitalize words when sending text messages. Capitalize also has several other meanings. To capitalize on something means to take advantage of it. You can capitalize on an opportunity or a situation by doing something to benefit from it in some way. Example: The company is capitalizing on the publicity by releasing new merchandise. In the context of finance, capitalize is used in more specific and technical ways. The most straightforward sense of the word in this context means to supply with capital (money). Example: Most startups are capitalized by friends and family members before they’re able to secure significant funding.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• capitalizer
  noun
• capitalizable
  adjective
• noncapitalized
  adjective
• uncapitalized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• capitalizing
  present
• capitalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• capitalize
  simple
• capitalizes
  simple
• have capitalized
  perfect
• has capitalized
  perfect
• am capitalizing
  progressive
• are capitalizing
  progressive
• is capitalizing
  progressive
• have been capitalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been capitalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• capitalized
  simple
• had capitalized
  perfect
• was capitalizing
  progressive
• were capitalizing
  progressive
• had been capitalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will capitalize
  simple
• will have capitalized
  perfect
• will be capitalizing
  progressive
• will have been capitalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of capitalize

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; capital ¹ + -ize

Explanation

To capitalize is to put something in capital letters, particularly the first letters, Like This. To capitalize also means to take advantage of a situation. The first word of every sentence is capitalized, and to capitalize is to write in capital (or upper-case) letters. To capitalize also means to take advantage of an opportunity. Graduates try to capitalize on their degrees by getting well-paying jobs. A football team tries to capitalize on the other team’s mistakes, such as making a touchdown after an interception. It might help you to remember that capitalizing is a good thing if you know capital is also another word for money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capitalize capitalizes capitalized capitalizing

The nuclear-energy industry has been having a moment, but analysts say some companies look better positioned than others to capitalize on a wave of AI-fueled demand.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Legrand shares rose after the company raised its 2030 targets to capitalize on the rapid data-center buildout driven by artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The quarterback struggled against the Bills, failing to capitalize on five takeaways from the Chargers’ defense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

The Rams struggle with penalties and turnovers as the Broncos capitalize on two key interceptions from Talanoa Hufanga to defeat the Rams 30-26.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Some that night worked on a small notice announcing the opening of a new hotel, clearly another hastily built affair meant to capitalize on the expected crush of exposition visitors.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Stetson Bennett capitalizes on extended playing time, leading four scoring drives and rushing for two touchdowns in the Rams’ 34-0 preseason win over the Saints.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Selling the silver production rights could generate $1.1 billion to $1.8 billion in cash proceeds as it capitalizes on the elevated price of silver, the analysts say in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Jonsson’s silences always seem to say so much and in “Wasteman” he capitalizes on his reserved demeanor and smaller frame to create a character who is much less frightening than those around him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

Borges expects Azure to drive revenue estimates higher in 2026 as it capitalizes on a “fungible” capacity, meaning that its data centers can be easily utilized for a variety of different workloads and customers.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026

It should carry a force of anticipation that capitalizes on that great mover to action—curiosity.

From Principles of Teaching by Adam S. Bennion

Today, European stocks are a higher-quality, better capitalized version than they were before the 2008 global financial crisis, with partial exposure to the AI/data-center supercycle, accelerating fiscal spending and global orientation, they declare.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Outside of the gym, Chiles has capitalized on her Olympic stardom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Last year it was Belgium’s Wout van Aert, who capitalized on Pogacar’s weariness to take the last stage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

The fund said the banking system remained well capitalized and liquid, with loans and deposits continuing to grow, though liquidity had tightened since the fighting began.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

There were only four words written on it, each one capitalized.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

Another way in which the conductor and orchestra are capitalizing on a situation not of their choosing is by traveling well beyond the D.C. suburbs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

As for ON Semiconductor, he noted that the company is capitalizing on improving demand for the chips specific to the industrial and automotive sectors.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Who ever heard of a major movie studio throwing $75 million at a follow-up that serves no purpose other than capitalizing on learned nostalgia, exacerbated by social media clip farming and seasonal wistfulness?

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Toyota, meanwhile, is pumping out a string of new models, capitalizing on surging demand for hybrids.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• exploit
• take advantage of