cap

plural caps · alternative 🧢

1. A close-fitting hat, either brimless or peaked.

   The children were all wearing caps to protect them from the sun.

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   That elf-maiden smote with her hand so white, “Sorrow and sickness on thee alight” That elf-maiden smote with her cap so small, “No more shall priest's benison on thee fall!”

   1847 September 11, William J. Thoms, “The Folk-lore of Shakespeare”, in The Athenaeum, London, page 958, column 1

2. A special hat to indicate rank, occupation, etc.
3. An academic mortarboard.
4. A protective cover or seal.

   He took the cap off the bottle and splashed himself with some cologne.

5. A crown for covering a tooth.

   He had golden caps on his teeth.

6. The summit of a mountain, etc.

   There was snow on the cap of the mountain.

7. An artificial upper limit or ceiling.

   We should put a cap on the salaries, to keep them under control.

   1 more example

   The G7 countries have agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil in an attempt to stem the flow of funds into the Kremlin’s war coffers. […] The level of the cap is still being discussed.

   2022 September 2, Alex Lawson, “G7 countries agree plan to impose price cap on Russian oil”, in The Guardian

   Antonyms: floor

8. The top part of a mushroom.
9. toyA small amount of percussive explosive in a paper strip or plastic cup for use in a toy gun.

   Billy spent all morning firing caps with his friends, re-enacting storming the beach at Normandy.

10. A small explosive device used to detonate a larger charge of explosives.

    He wired the cap to the bundle of dynamite, then detonated it remotely.

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    The old cap-and-ball .44 was in Pa's saddle bag with its belt and powder flask and the leather sacks of lead bullets and caps.

    1950, Dorothy M. Johnson, Prairie Kid; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 47

11. slangA bullet used to shoot someone.

    Did he think they were going to put a cap in his ass right in the middle of Metreon?

    2001, Charles Jade, Jade goes to Metreon

12. slangA lie or exaggeration.

    no cap

    1 more example

    that’s cap

13. hobbiesA place on a national team; an international appearance.

    Rio Ferdinand won his 50th cap for England in a game against Sweden.

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    "By the way, are you by any chance the Malone who is expected to get his Rugby cap for Ireland?" "A reserve, perhaps."

    1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC

    Overall, though, England’s injury-diminished side coped well on the night when Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jordan Pickford and Tammy Abraham all won their first caps.

    2017 November 10, Daniel Taylor, “Youthful England earn draw with Germany but Lingard rues late miss”, in The Guardian (London)

14. obsoleteThe top, or uppermost part; the chief.

    Thou art the Cap / Of all the Fooles aliue.

    c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 93, column 2

15. obsoleteA respectful uncovering of the head.

    He that will give a cap and make a leg, in thanks for a favour he never received, deserveth rather to be blamed for want of wit, than to be praised for store of manners.

    1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church History of Britain, from the Birth of Jesus Christ until the Year MDCXLVIII, volume 1, London: Thomas Tegg and Son, published 1837, page 9

16. biologyThe whole top of the head of a bird from the base of the bill to the nape of the neck.
17. architectureThe uppermost of any assemblage of parts.

    the cap of a column, door, etc.; a capital, coping, cornice, lintel, or plate

18. Something covering the top or end of a thing for protection or ornament.
19. nauticalA collar of iron or wood used in joining spars, as the mast and the topmast, the bowsprit and the jib boom; also, a covering of tarred canvas at the end of a rope.
20. geometryA portion of a spherical or other convex surface.
21. A large size of writing paper.

    flat cap; foolscap; legal cap

22. AppalachiaPopcorn.

present singular third person caps · participle present capping · participle past capped · past capped · alternative 🧢

1. transitiveTo cover or seal with a cap.
2. transitiveTo award a cap as a mark of distinction.
3. transitiveTo lie over or on top of something.
   1. broadlyslangtransitiveartsTo paint over someone else's piece or tag.
4. transitiveTo surpass or outdo.
5. transitiveTo set (or reach) an upper limit on something.

   to cap wages

   1 more example

   It recalls the business case for Scotland's reopening of the Borders Railway to Tweedbank, that British Rail closed in 1969. The review says the business case for this was at best borderline, but goes on to say that the case greatly underestimated passenger demand and that the railway Scotland built has capped its capacity.

   2023 September 6, Philip Haigh, “£30 billion plan to transform the rail network in Ireland”, in RAIL, number 991, page 25

6. figurativelytransitiveTo conclude; to make something even more wonderful at the end.

   That really capped my day.

   1 more example

   Ms. Yaccarino’s exit caps a tumultuous period at X, which was previously called Twitter and has been remade in Mr. Musk’s image since he bought the platform for $44 billion in 2022.

   2025 July 9, Mike Isaac, Kate Conger, “X CEO Linda Yaccarino Says She Is Leaving Elon Musk’s Platform”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

7. transitiveball gamesTo select a player to play for a specified side.
8. slangtransitiveTo shoot (someone) with a firearm.

   If he don’t get outta my hood, I’m gonna cap his ass.

   1 more example

   In a school shooting, where some kid caps a bunch of other kids, where did he get the weapon? From a family member, probably their gun cabinet.

   Synonyms: pop a cap in someone's ass

9. intransitiveslangTo lie; to tell a lie.

   It’s over for you capping-ass rappers—get out the game / You can fool the record labels, but not the streets, man

   2003, Antwan Patton et al., “Tomb of the Boom”, in Speakerboxxx, performed by OutKast

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   "How? Didn’t I cap for you, an’ square you with the examinin’ board? Didn’t I stake you to the three hundred dollars?"

   1906, Alfred Henry Lewis, “Confessions of a Detective”, in Confessions of a Detective, New York: A.S. Barnes & Company, page 36

10. transitivehobbiesTo select to play for the national team.

    Peter Shilton is the most capped English footballer.

11. obsoletetransitiveTo salute by uncovering the head respectfully.

    Tom never miſsed a lecture, and capped the proctor with the profoundeſt of bows.

    1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, “I Go to Cambridge, and Do But Little Good There”, in The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. […] , volume I, London: […] Smith, Elder, & Company, […], →OCLC, page 231

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    Indeed, as the astonished small boys "capped" him on his way to nine o'clock "absence," he wore an expression of delight bordering on playfulness, which, coming from one of such firm and commanding features, was immensely striking.

    1909, William Hill Tucker, Eton Memories, page 128

12. To deprive of a cap.

    1 more example

    As if one going to diſtrain upon his own Land or Tenement, where lawfully he may; yet if in doing thereof, he tranſgreſs the leaſt Point of the Common Law, he ſtraight committeth Felony. Or if one, by any other Occaſion, take any thing from another, as Boys uſe ſometimes to cap one another, the ſame is ſtraight Felony.

    1596, Edmund Spenser, A View of the State of Ireland as It Was in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, Dublin: Laurence Flin, published 1763, page 50

plural caps · alternative 🧢

1. businessCapitalization.
2. informalA capital letter.
3. businessA capacitor.

   parasitic caps

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   I had to replace the caps in that thing to get it to work again.

4. abbreviationclippingcolloquialClipping of capture; a recording or screenshot.

   Anyone have a cap of the games last night?

   3 more examples

   If you have a cap of Gabby's bare butt from the "forget me not" episode please post or mail it...

   1998 September 26, Mr Hanky [username] <meister_hanky@hotmail.com>, “req: does anyone have a cap of Gabby's behind from "Forget Me Not"”, in alt.tv.xena (Usenet), retrieved 07 Aug 2016

   Here's a cap of Jennifer from her latest Letterman appearance […]

   1998 April 27, Johan [username], “Jennifer on Letterman”, in alt.fan.jen-aniston (Usenet), retrieved 07 Aug 2016

   Please be assured that when I do get around to capping the Brits, there will NOT be one single cap of that slutty bitch, her whorishness has dropped to even lower levels than before.

   2000 March 4, RichieH [username], “Please somebody get a cap of Faye from steps at the Brits!!!!!!!!”, in alt.tv.shaggable.babes (Usenet)

5. slangA capsule of a drug.

   Glass bottles of liquid LSD; moist blocks of Manali charras and Malana cream; sachets of smack; a hundred caps of MDMA and a phial of Australian DMT; ampoules of medical morphine and a dense pad of four thousand Californian blotters.

   2012, Alex Wyndham Baker, Cursive

6. colloquialA capitalist.
7. anatomyA capillary.
8. A caption.
9. informalA cappuccino.

present singular third person caps · participle present capping · participle past capped · past capped · alternative 🧢

1. informaltransitiveTo convert text to uppercase.
2. transitiveTo take a screenshot or to record a copy of a video.

   Please tell me someone capped it!!!!

   2002 June 11, test . com Ground Hog [username], alt.luser.recovery (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   I've capped in VCD format, so will eventually post it to abme (I've since found out that it's a bit OT for this group)

   2001 December 3, Methos [username], alt.fan.televisionx (Usenet)

   If I had a method of capping from video tapes there's a movie that I can no longer remember the name of which has a single scene with Racquel and Derrick as a newly married couple having sex under the lustful eyes of Joey Silvera.

   2003 February 18, jacuk [username], alt.fan.pornstar.darrian (Usenet)

3. transitivevideo gamesTo capture an objective, such as a flag or checkpoint.

   Call your friends and bring a gun / The Halo revolution's on / Capping flags and arming bombs / Yes, we don't blink until we're done

   2007 November 20, Greg Haupt, “LvUrFR3NZ”, in Halo 3 Original Soundtrack, performed by Princeton, Sumthing Else Music Works

4. intransitivetransitivevideo gamesTo capitulate (cause to capitulate) an opponent.

plural caps · alternative 🧢

1. obsoleteA wooden drinking-bowl with two handles.

plural CAPs

1. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of conservation action plan.
2. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of catabolite activator protein.
3. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablemedicineInitialism of community-acquired pneumonia.
4. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablecomputingInitialism of consistency, availability, partition-tolerance, three irreconcilable guarantees in distributed systems, a result known as Brewer's theorem.
5. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of combat air patrol.
6. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of change acceleration process.
7. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of cold atmospheric plasma.
8. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of colors and placements.

1. European UnionabbreviationinitialismInitialism of Common Agricultural Policy.

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   The fact remains that if Ukraine joins, the CAP budget will either have to be increased dramatically or will evaporate, given the sheer area of agricultural land in Ukraine (it’s bigger than the whole of Italy), with the average farm taking up about 1,000 hectares compared to 16 hectares in the rest of the EU.

   2023 September 30, Patrick Wintour, quoting Marija Golubeva, “‘No turning back’: how the Ukraine war has profoundly changed the EU”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

2. USabbreviationinitialismInitialism of Civil Air Patrol.
3. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of Colleague Assistance Program.

1. A nickname for the captain of a team, ship, etc.

   Yeah, and now you're dreamin', Cap.

   2015 November 23, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, “Dulcinea”, in The Expanse, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Jim Holden (Steven Strait)

   1 more example

   "But listen, Cap!" he protested, momentarily falling out of his role as Midshipman Hornblower. "I haven't got any place else to go! This is where I sleep, where else do you want me to write my letters?"

   1967, Jan de Hartog, The Captain

2. A nickname for a man generally.

   ‘Hi Cap! Is that the moving picture ship?’

   1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 2

   2 more examples

   “I'd take Vernon Dewey for my team any day.” “And their quarterback can throw,” Cap pointed out. “But we did all right, huh, Grandpa?” “You did fine,” Tully replied. “All of you did real well.” “Cap, you can throw ...”

   2009, Matt Christopher, Long Arm Quarterback: A New Football Team Sparks an Old Rivalry, →ISBN

   “Well, Cap, you seem to be a nice gentleman from a good family, but I wished you had come to me and my wife and talked to me before you two started making all these decisions.”

   2018, Ken Kenthomas, Mr. Black Johnson She Worshiped, →ISBN

plural Caps

1. abbreviationclippinginformalastrologyClipping of Capricorn.

   Caps are also naturally inclined towards stability and security—they're totally different from noncommittal Sagittarius men. If you're looking for someone who's ready to commit rather than stay in a situationship, odds are that he might be a Capricorn.

   2022 December 8, Jake Register, “Everything You Need to Know About Dating a Capricorn Man”, in Cosmopolitan