Meaning & use
uncapped player
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablesport
a sports player who has never been chosen to play for their country's national team
Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the plural -s. Often written as two words, and the opposite is a capped player.
Patterns
- an uncapped player at something
- an uncapped player in the squad
The coach surprised everyone by calling up three uncapped players for the friendly.
He is still an uncapped player, but his club form has been excellent.
An uncapped player can still be a key member of the squad.
Word forms
| plural | uncapped players |
|---|
Common combinations
- an uncapped player at
- She was an uncapped player at the time of the tournament.
- call up an uncapped player
- The manager called up an uncapped player from the second division.
- remain an uncapped player
- Despite his goals, he remained an uncapped player for years.
- an uncapped player in the squad
- There are two uncapped players in the squad.
Synonyms and how they differ
- newcomer
- General word for someone new to a team or activity; it does not specifically mean someone without a national cap.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: uncapped player or uncapped?
uncapped player vs uncapped
Outside sport, uncapped usually means 'without a limit' (uncapped spending) or 'without a lid'. In sport it means 'without a national appearance'.
Practice
In football, what is an uncapped player?
Choose one answer.
In sport, 'capped' means having played for your country, so an uncapped player has never done so. The other options take the everyday meaning of 'cap' (a hat or a limit), which does not fit this sports context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “uncapped player”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.