cap

cap1 [ kæp ] noun count **

▸ 1 soft hat

▸ 2 lid/covering

▸ 3 top part

▸ 4 limit on money

▸ 5 artificial tooth cover

▸ 6 explosive in toy gun

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) a soft hat with a stiff part called a bill or visor that comes out over your eyes:

a baseball cap

a ) a soft hat that people wear as part of a uniform:

a nurse's/chauffeur's/sailor's cap

b ) a soft hat that you wear to protect or cover your hair:

a swimming/bathing/shower cap

2. ) a lid or part that fits over the top of something:

Meg screwed the cap back on the bottle.

3. ) LITERARY the top part of a mountain:

the hills with their snowy caps

a ) the top part of a wave

b ) the round top part of a MUSHROOM

4. ) a limit on the amount of money that you can spend or charge:

Airlines began to impose a $50 cap on commissions for domestic flights.

5. ) a hard cover attached to a tooth to protect it or replace part of it

6. ) a small amount of EXPLOSIVE that is used to make a loud noise in a toy gun called a cap pistol

go cap in hand to someone

to ask someone to give you money in a way that makes you feel ashamed

put on your thinking cap INFORMAL

to try to think of a new idea or a new solution to a problem

set your cap for/at someone OLD-FASHIONED

to try to make someone fall in love with you

cap

cap 2 [ kæp ] verb transitive *

1. ) to say or do something that is better, funnier, cleverer, etc. than something good, funny, clever, etc. that someone has just said or done

a ) MAINLY JOURNALISM to be a very good or very important event that happens at the end of a series of events:

His victory in the world championship capped a brilliant week's skiing.

The festivities were capped by a presentation to all the committee members.

2. ) to put a cover or lid on something:

It's a good idea to cap the chimney to prevent dirt from getting in.

3. ) to set a limit on the amount of money that someone can spend or charge:

The interest rate has been capped at 7.5 percent.

4. ) to attach a hard cover to a tooth to protect it or replace part of it:

She smiled, revealing a row of perfectly capped teeth.

be capped with/by LITERARY

to have something on top:

The mountains were capped with snow.

to cap it all MAINLY BRITISH INFORMAL

used when you are saying that a bad or disappointing thing happens after several other bad or disappointing things have already happened