What does capitalize mean?
Capitalize is a verb with two principal uses. In its literal sense it means to write or print a letter or word in capital form — most often capitalizing the first letter of a sentence, a proper noun such as a name or city, or a title. Its figurative sense, always followed by the preposition 'on', means to take full advantage of an opportunity, circumstance, or trend: a company might capitalize on a competitor's misfortune by capturing its customers. A third, more technical sense appears in finance, where to capitalize a business is to supply it with capital or to record an expenditure as an asset rather than an expense. The word derives from Latin 'capitalis', meaning 'of the head', via the notion of a capital letter standing at the 'head' of a sentence. It carries a neutral tone in writing contexts but can suggest shrewdness, or even opportunism, when used about exploiting situations. Both British 'capitalise' and American 'capitalize' spellings are standard.
verbTo write or print a word or letter in capital letters, especially the first letter of a word; also (followed by 'on') to take advantage of an opportunity or situation to one's benefit.
- To write a letter or word in capital letters.
- Followed by 'on': to take full advantage of a situation or opportunity.
- In finance: to convert income or assets into capital, or to provide a business with capital.
"Remember to capitalize proper nouns such as names and place names."
"Please capitalize the first word of every sentence."
"The company capitalized on the sudden surge in demand for home fitness equipment."
The word for writing BIG LETTERS comes from the same Latin root as 'cattle' — because wealth was once literally counted in heads of livestock.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capitalize
Capitalize comes from the Latin adjective 'capitalis', meaning 'of or relating to the head', derived from 'caput' ('head'). Capital letters were so named because they stand at the head of a word or sentence, and the verb capitalize emerged in English around the late 17th century with the sense of writing in capitals. The same root gave English the words capital, cattle (originally movable property), and per capita.
Related word forms
How capitalize is actually used
The sense meaning 'to take advantage of' almost always takes the preposition 'on' and can carry a slightly opportunistic connotation depending on context. In American English it is sometimes spelled 'capitalize' with a 'z', while British English may use 'capitalise'; the 'z'-spelling is widely accepted in both varieties.
Easily confused with capitalize
Capitalize means to write in capitals or exploit a benefit, whereas apologise/apologize means to express regret for a wrongdoing.