often attributive
1
a
: a head covering especially with a visor and no brim
b
: a distinctive head covering emblematic of a position or office: such as
(1)
: a cardinal's biretta
(2)
2
3
a
: something that serves as a cover or protection especially for a tip, knob, or end
a bottle cap
b
: a fitting for closing the end of a tube
c
British
: cervical cap
d
: an artificial crown for a tooth
4
: an overlaying or covering structure
5
: a paper or metal container holding an explosive charge (as for a toy pistol)
6
: an upper limit (as on expenditures) : ceiling
a cap on military spending
7
: the symbol ∩ indicating the intersection of two sets compare cup sense 9
8
: a cluster of molecules or chemical groups bound to one end or a region of a cell, virus, or molecule
capped; capping
1
a
: to provide or protect with a cap
cap a bottle
b
: to give a cap to as a symbol of honor, rank, or achievement
2
: to form a cap over : crown
mountains capped with mist
3
a
: to follow with something more noticeable or more significant : outdo
b
: to bring to a climax or conclusion
cap off the show with a song
4
: to form a chemical cap on
5
: to prevent from growing or spreading : set an upper limit on
cap oil prices
6
: to supply (a tooth) with an artificial crown
: to form or produce a chemical cap
: a small amount of an illegal or legally regulated drug
especially
: a small amount of a drug enclosed in a capsule
a cap of cocaine
plural caps
2
: a capital letter
—usually plural
a message written in caps
According to [linguist Deborah] Tannen, women's preference for expressive hashtags is "similar to their using exclamation points, caps, and repetition of letters to show emphasis, and to the fact that women's spoken intonation patterns tend to vary more than men's."—
Jessica Bennett
Jessica BennettGood netiquette includes not using all caps [=exclusively capital letters] when typing, as it comes across as shouting.—John DeGarmo
John DeGarmo1
capacity
2
capital
3
capitalize; capitalized
1
Civil Air Patrol
2
combat air patrol
Synonyms
Examples of cap in a Sentence
Verb
a pipe capped at one end
Be sure to cap the pen when you are done using it.
The report caps a ten-year study of lung cancer among nonsmokers.
a concert capped by a fantastic fireworks display
If the teams don't cap player salaries, the league won't survive.
The law would cap legal immigration.
The government wants to cap councils that spend too much.
Recent Examples on the WebKacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
Joe Burrow’s new contract will also start kicking in a big way next season, specifically against the salary cap, which will limit what the Bengals can do in free agency from a spending standpoint.
—Kelsey Conway, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
The company’s share price has plummeted 63% from its all-time-high of $409 in November 2021 and its market cap has fallen under the $500 billion mark for the first time in a year.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Malek then backed legislation that would raise the program’s cap from $800 million to $1.2 billion.
—Associated Press, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Value of Trump Media Trump Media’s market cap and Trump’s net worth – both tied to the company’s stock – have taken a hit as its stock price has dipped.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
The intensity of the thunderstorms that are likely to form in this system will depend on how quickly the cap over the region dissipates.
—David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024
Storms this winter have caused significant damage, knocking down one of the pier’s pilings, a portion of the pile cap and large sections of its railing.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
While local governments, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, have passed legislation limiting rent increases in recent years, there is no such statewide cap.
—Emily Guskin, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe capped the inning with a two-run single.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Friday’s move capped a week of intense debate over USC’s cancellation of Tabassum’s speech that included a campus protest that hundreds attended Thursday and criticism of USC by civil rights groups and politicians, including Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
—Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Miguel Amaya proceeded to cap the rally with a two-run double to make it 7-0.
Because of that outburst, Marlins starter A.J. Puk (0-4) didn’t return to the mound for the fourth, giving up a career-worst seven runs on seven hits in three innings.
—Field Level Media, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
That last group of students will still have loans, but retroactively capped at the sticker price of tuition.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
But all eyes were on Zendaya, who capped off her press tour looks with an elegant Vera Wang gown.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
The increase covers all salary schedules and is capped at $2,500 annually, according to a presentation by Janet Schwanhausser, the School District's executive finance director.
—Al Gaspeny, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
If signed by Parson, the new law would raise the funding cap — or the total amount of tax-credit eligible donations MOScholars can accept — from $25 million to $75 million.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
Joe Burrow’s new contract will also start kicking in a big way next season, specifically against the salary cap, which will limit what the Bengals can do in free agency from a spending standpoint.
—Kelsey Conway, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
The company’s share price has plummeted 63% from its all-time-high of $409 in November 2021 and its market cap has fallen under the $500 billion mark for the first time in a year.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Malek then backed legislation that would raise the program’s cap from $800 million to $1.2 billion.
—Associated Press, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Value of Trump Media Trump Media’s market cap and Trump’s net worth – both tied to the company’s stock – have taken a hit as its stock price has dipped.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
The intensity of the thunderstorms that are likely to form in this system will depend on how quickly the cap over the region dissipates.
—David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024
Storms this winter have caused significant damage, knocking down one of the pier’s pilings, a portion of the pile cap and large sections of its railing.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
While local governments, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, have passed legislation limiting rent increases in recent years, there is no such statewide cap.
—Emily Guskin, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Verb
The Cal women’s gymnastics team capped the best season in program history with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe capped the inning with a two-run single.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Friday’s move capped a week of intense debate over USC’s cancellation of Tabassum’s speech that included a campus protest that hundreds attended Thursday and criticism of USC by civil rights groups and politicians, including Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
—Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Miguel Amaya proceeded to cap the rally with a two-run double to make it 7-0.
Because of that outburst, Marlins starter A.J. Puk (0-4) didn’t return to the mound for the fourth, giving up a career-worst seven runs on seven hits in three innings.
—Field Level Media, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
That last group of students will still have loans, but retroactively capped at the sticker price of tuition.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
But all eyes were on Zendaya, who capped off her press tour looks with an elegant Vera Wang gown.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
The increase covers all salary schedules and is capped at $2,500 annually, according to a presentation by Janet Schwanhausser, the School District's executive finance director.
—Al Gaspeny, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to cap
Dictionary Entries Near cap
Cite this Entry
“Cap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cap. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cap
1 of 2 noun1
: a head covering
especially
: one that has a visor and no brim
2
: something that serves as a cover or protection for something
a bottle cap
3
: a natural cover or top: as
a
: the umbrella-shaped part that bears the spores of a mushroom
b
: the top of a bird's head
4
: a paper or metal container holding a small explosive charge (as for a toy pistol)
cap
2 of 2 verb
capped; capping
1
: to cover or provide with a cap
2
: to follow with something : outdo
3
: to bring to a conclusion
capped off the show with a song
4
: to prevent from growing or spreading : set a limit on
capped oil prices
Etymology
Noun
Middle English cappe "cap," from Old English cæppe "cap," from Latin cappa "head covering, cloak" — related to cape entry 2, chapel
Medical Definition
cap
1 of 3 nounoften attributive
2
: something that serves as a cover or protection especially for a tip, knob, or end (as of a tooth)
3
British
: cervical cap
4
: a cluster of molecules or chemical groups bound to one end or a region of a cell, virus, or molecule
the cell surface receptors were redistributed into caps
cap
2 of 3 verb
capped; capping
1
: to invest (a student nurse) with a cap as an indication of completion of a probationary period of study
2
: to cover (a diseased or exposed part of a tooth) with a protective substance
3
: to form a chemical cap on
the capped end of a messenger RNA
: to form or produce a chemical cap
cap
3 of 3 abbreviation1
capacity
2
capsule
Legal Definition
cap
noun
: an upper limit
a jury found that KAL had committed “willful misconduct,” thus removing the Warsaw Convention's $75,000 cap on damages—Dooley v. Korean Air Lines, 524 U.S. 116 (1998)
Dooley v. Korean Air Lines, 524 U.S. 116 (1998)
cap
verb
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