noun

capital

/ˈkæpɪtəl/ · say it: KAP·i·tuhl

wealth used to produce more wealth or start a business

In Banking & Finance

In more detail

1. (noun) a city where the government of a country or state is located

2. (noun) money or possessions that you use to start a business or make investments

3. (adjective) deserving punishment by death

4. (adjective) written with a large letter (A, B, C, not a, b, c)

Examples

1. Paris is the capital of France.
2. We need more capital to expand the business.
3. Murder is considered a capital crime in some countries.

How to use capital

Capital has several distinct meanings depending on context. As a noun referring to a city, it means the administrative center of a state or nation (London is the capital of England). As a noun in finance, it means money or resources used for business or investment purposes. As an adjective, it can mean punishable by death (capital offense) or refer to the size form of letters (capital letter). The multiple meanings require attention to context to avoid confusion.

Common phrases

capital city
capital letter
capital punishment
venture capital
working capital
human capital

Synonyms

center of government · seat of government · funds · assets · wealth

Opposites

lowercase

Word family

capitalize · capitalization · capitalist · capitalism · capitally

A common mistake

Learners often confuse capital (the city or money/letters) with capitol (a building housing a legislature); note that capitol has one 'l' and only refers to a building, whereas capital has multiple meanings and spellings.

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