uncap
Americanverb (used with object)
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to remove a cap or cover from (a bottle, container, etc.).
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to free from limits or restrictions.
The union is demanding that cost-of-living allowances be uncapped.
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to remove a cap or hat from (the head of a person).
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to remove a cap or top from (a container)
to uncap a bottle
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to remove a cap from (the head)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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uncapsimple
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uncapssimple
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have uncappedperfect
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has uncappedperfect
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am uncappingprogressive
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are uncappingprogressive
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is uncappingprogressive
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have been uncappingperfect progressive
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has been uncappingperfect progressive
Past
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uncappedsimple
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had uncappedperfect
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was uncappingprogressive
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were uncappingprogressive
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had been uncappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of uncap
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Yet, even as extreme heat dries up more aquifers and wells and leaves more people thirsty, luxury water has become fashionable among the world’s privileged, who uncap and taste it like fine wine.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Or maybe you have already caught “Corsicana,” in which she seems to unseal her character’s soul as casually as you or I uncap a beer.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2022
CEO Mary Barra noted the Detroit automaker is making big investments in EV and it needs key provisions in the proposal "that are going to uncap EV credits."
From Reuters ● Jan. 26, 2022
In other words, even if it’s a love letter, that doesn’t mean it’s afraid to uncap its poison pen.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2021
I grab an orange marker and uncap and recap it a few times while I think.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Meanwhile, Max uncaps his pen to reveal the eponymous clown, whom he signals to enter the house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
The man uncaps the yellow marker and starts to carefully fill in one leaf, then another, staying inside the lines.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
Ms. Jacobs uncaps a blue dry-erase marker, presses the tip to the whiteboard, and looks at the class over her shoulder.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
She uncaps the pencil and pulls my eyelid taut, and I try not to squirm.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Nora uncaps the red marker and, in bold letters at the top of the page, writes: “Reasons Joy and Nora Should Be Allowed to Walk Ziggy.”
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Sandy Baum, an expert in education finance with the Urban Institute, said the new loan limits are unreasonably low, but uncapped borrowing was a real problem and some restrictions are necessary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Cape Verde's transformation began in 2010 when then-coach Joao de Deus looked to their massive diaspora and called up eight uncapped players.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Exeter's uncapped Greg Fisilau is the secondary number eight behind first-choice Ben Earl, with Alex Dombrandt having suffered an injury in defeat by a France XV on Friday.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“You’re basically uncapped on your upside,” said d’Escragnolle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, “Hey, Chihuahua!”
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
But critics have argued that uncapping bonuses could make the financial system more risky.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2023
The same colors appeared on my son’s palms, as he was most taken with the dynamics of uncapping and recapping the felts.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2017
Oil supplies have been maintained by uncapping state-owned reserve wells, and some experts predict that Argentina will be forced to import oil before December.
From Time Magazine Archive
Companies have taken to uncapping new brands because the popularity of old ones has been going flat.
From Time Magazine Archive
A few students call out their gratitude to Ms. Porter, and everyone is suddenly in motion, laughing with their friends, uncapping markers to write in each other’s yearbooks.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
