plural
caps
plural
caps
Britannica Dictionary definition of CAP
[count]
1
a
:
a small, soft hat that often has a hard curved part (called a visor) that extends out over your eyes
—
see also baseball cap
b
:
a covering for a person's head that is worn for a special purpose
—
see also thinking cap
c
:
a hat that people with particular jobs wear while working
2
:
a part or object that covers the end or top of something
3
:
a part that forms the top of something
4
:
a limit on the amount of money that can be spent, given, charged, etc., for something
5
:
a paper or metal container that holds an explosive substance
6
informal
:
a capital letter
—
usually plural
7
:
a hard substance that is shaped to look like a healthy tooth and used to cover a damaged tooth
8
British, sports
a
:
an opportunity to play for your school or country
b
:
a player chosen to play for a country's team
if the cap fits
British
or
if the cap fits, wear it
—
used to say that something said about a person is true and the person should accept it as true
-
They may not like being called careless, but if the cap fits, wear it. [=(US) if the shoe fits, wear it]
2
cap
/ˈkæp/
verb
caps;
capped;
capping
caps;
capped;
capping
Britannica Dictionary definition of CAP
[+ object]
1
:
to cover the top or end of (something)
:
to put a cap on (something)
2
a
:
to end (something) in usually an exciting or impressive way
—
often + off in U.S. English
b
:
to follow (something) with something that is better, worse, etc.
-
a concert capped by a fantastic fireworks display
-
The car was filthy when he returned it to me, and to cap it off [=to top it off], there was almost no fuel left in the tank.
3
a
:
to prevent (something) from increasing
:
to put an upper limit on (something)
-
If the teams don't cap player salaries, the league won't survive.
-
capping interest rates
-
The law would cap legal immigration.
b
British
:
to put a limit on the amount of money that can be spent by (a group)
4
:
to cover (a tooth) with a hard material that is shaped to look like a healthy tooth
:
to put a cap on (a tooth)
5
British, sports
:
to choose (someone) to play for a national team
—
usually used as (be) capped