Meaning & use
cap
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Meanings
nouncountable
A soft, close-fitting hat, often with a peak or brim.
Grammar: Countable: one cap, two caps. Unlike 'hat', it usually has no brim all around.
Patterns
- wear a cap
- put on a cap
He wore a blue baseball cap to the game.
She took off her cap and shook out her hair.
The nurse's white cap was part of her uniform.
nouncountable
An upper limit on an amount, price, or number.
Grammar: Countable: a cap on something. Often used with 'on': a cap on spending.
Patterns
- a cap on something
- put a cap on something
The government put a cap on rent increases.
There is a cap on how much you can borrow.
The salary cap prevents teams from spending too much.
nouncountable
A cover or lid that fits over the top of a container or object.
Grammar: Countable: the cap of a bottle, the cap of a pen.
Patterns
- the cap of something
- screw the cap on
He unscrewed the cap from the bottle.
Put the cap back on the pen so it doesn't dry out.
The gas cap was missing from the car.
verbtransitive
To set an upper limit on something.
Grammar: Takes an object: cap spending. Often used in the passive: spending was capped.
Patterns
- cap something at something
- be capped at something
The council capped the rent at $1,000 a month.
Interest rates were capped at 5 percent.
They decided to cap the number of tickets per person.
verbtransitive
To cover the top of something.
Grammar: Takes an object: cap the bottle. Often used in the passive: the mountains were capped with snow.
Patterns
- be capped with something
- cap something with something
The mountains were capped with snow.
He capped the bottle and put it away.
The cake was capped with a layer of chocolate.
Word forms
| plural | caps |
|---|---|
| third person singular | caps |
| past tense | capped |
| past participle | capped |
| -ing form | capping |
Common combinations
- baseball cap
- He always wears a baseball cap when he runs.
- cap on something
- There is a cap on the amount you can claim.
- put a cap on
- The new law puts a cap on credit card fees.
- cap in hand
- He came cap in hand asking for more money.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: cap or hat?
cap vs hat
A hat has a shaped crown and often a brim all around; a cap is softer and usually has a peak at the front.
Practice
The city decided to ___ the price of taxi rides at $20.
Choose one answer.
The verb 'cap' means to set a maximum limit. 'Hat' and 'lid' are nouns and do not fit the verb slot; 'cover' means to place something over, not to limit a price.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cap”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.