Meaning & use
cape
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Meanings
nouncountable
A sleeveless piece of clothing that hangs from the shoulders over the back.
Grammar: Countable noun; plural is capes. Often worn as an outer layer or as part of a costume.
Patterns
- wear a cape
- a cape over something
- a cape with a hood
Superman is often shown wearing a red cape.
She wrapped a light cape around her shoulders to keep warm.
The magician's cape sparkled under the stage lights.
nouncountable
A pointed piece of land that sticks out into the sea or a lake.
Grammar: Countable noun; often used in place names with a capital letter, e.g., Cape Cod.
Patterns
- a cape on the coast
- round a cape
- Cape of Good Hope
The lighthouse stands on a rocky cape overlooking the ocean.
We sailed around the cape and into calmer waters.
Cape Cod is a popular vacation spot in Massachusetts.
Word forms
| plural | capes |
|---|
Common combinations
- Cape Cod
- They spent the summer in Cape Cod.
- cape of good hope
- The ship rounded the Cape of Good Hope after weeks at sea.
- wear a cape
- The actor wore a black cape for the role.
- a cape and sword
- The hero appeared with a cape and sword.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- caped adjective
- Wearing a cape, as in 'a caped crusader'.
Commonly confused: cape or cape?
cape vs cape
Cape can mean a garment or a piece of land. Context makes the meaning clear: if it's about clothing, it's the garment; if it's about geography, it's the landform.
Practice
The sailor pointed to the distant ______ where the land met the sea.
Choose one answer.
A cape is a piece of land projecting into the sea, which fits the context of a sailor looking at the coast. A cloak is a garment, a cap is a hat, and a cave is a hollow in a cliff, none of which match the description of land meeting the sea.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cape”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.