Meaning & use
Cape Cod
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
A hook-shaped peninsula on the coast of Massachusetts, popular with vacationers for its beaches and small seaside towns.
Grammar: Always capitalized and usually used without an article: we spent July on Cape Cod.
Patterns
- on Cape Cod
- to Cape Cod
- visit Cape Cod
Many Boston families rent summer houses on Cape Cod.
The ferry to Cape Cod leaves from the harbor at nine.
Cape Cod is crowded in August but peaceful in October.
nouncountable
A style of house with one or one and a half stories, a steep roof, a central door, and a plain, balanced front.
Grammar: Often capitalized, and sometimes used before another noun: a Cape Cod house.
Patterns
- a Cape Cod house
- a Cape Cod style home
They bought a small Cape Cod with gray shingles and white trim.
Rows of Cape Cods line the quiet street.
The builder added a dormer to the old Cape Cod.
nouncountableinformal
A cocktail of vodka and cranberry juice, usually served over ice with a slice of lime.
Grammar: Informally shortened from Cape Codder, and often written with capital letters.
Patterns
- order a Cape Cod
She ordered a Cape Cod at the beach bar.
He mixed two Cape Cods for the guests on the porch.
Common combinations
- Cape Cod house
- Their Cape Cod house has a steep roof that sheds snow easily.
- summer on Cape Cod
- We always summer on Cape Cod and walk on the dunes each morning.
- Cape Cod beaches
- The Cape Cod beaches stretch for miles along the Atlantic.
- Cape Cod Bay
- Seals gather in Cape Cod Bay during the winter.
- Cape Cod style
- The cottage was built in the Cape Cod style with a central chimney.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the Cape
- People in Massachusetts say the Cape informally, which assumes the listener knows which cape is meant.
- cottage
- A cottage describes the size and feel of a small house, not a specific architectural style like Cape Cod.
Word family
- Cape Codder noun
- a person who lives on Cape Cod, or the cranberry cocktail
- Cape Cod Bay proper noun
- the water bay enclosed by the peninsula
- Cape Cod National Seashore proper noun
- a protected stretch of shoreline on the peninsula
Commonly confused: Cape Cod or Cape Canaveral?
Cape Cod vs Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral is a headland in Florida known for rocket launches. Cape Cod is the peninsula in Massachusetts.
Practice
Which phrase most likely describes a Cape Cod house?
Choose one answer.
The Cape Cod style is small, symmetrical and has a steep roof. A glass tower, a flat-roofed ranch and a thatched tower belong to other building styles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Cape Cod”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.