capping

1 of 3

noun (1)

cap·​ping ˈka-piŋ 

plural cappings

: something that functions as a cap or cover

… a signal from the honey bee larvae intended to alert worker bees to seal the brood cell with a wax capping …

—Charlie Vanden Heuvel

capping

2 of 3

noun (2)

variants or less commonly cappin'

ˈka-pən 

or cappin

African American English slang

: a ritualized exchange of insults that are often about the other person's appearance or members of the other person's family : joning

… rituals such as capping and playing the dozens.

—John McWhorter

The next day I waited for the capping to start. And it did. A ninth grader said, "Man, that shirt you're wearing has been through World War I, World War II, World War III, and World War IV." "Yeah," I said, "and your mama wore it."

—Ben Carson

compare the dozens, signifying entry 1

capping

3 of 3

present participle of cap entry 2, cap entry 5

Examples of capping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tap-to-pay customers will be eligible for daily fare capping. —Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

Jamie Davis, cofounder of Portola Paints, describes color capping as a tonal strategy that subtly reshapes a room's feel. —Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026

The gut and go maneuver — also known as hog-housing and radiator capping in other states — is expressly banned in the Missouri Constitution, for instance. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026

The researchers tried this and coined the technique as activation capping. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from cappen "to cap entry 2" + -ing -ing entry 1

Noun (2)

cap entry 5 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1994, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for capping

• clapping
• flapping
• lapping
• mapping
• napping
• rapping
• sapping
• scrapping
• slapping
• snapping
• strapping
• tapping