2 A capital is a big letter of the alphabet, such as A, B and C. Capital letters are also called upper-case letters.
See lower-case
See also Punctuation on page 270
captain captains
NOUN 1 A captain is the person in charge of a ship or an aeroplane.
NOUN 2 A captain is the person who leads a team in sports like football.
caption captions NOUN
A caption is the words printed underneath a picture which explain what the picture is about.
capture captures, capturing, captured VERB
If you capture somebody, you take them prisoner.
car cars NOUN
A car is a road vehicle with wheels and an engine. It needs a driver and has room for passengers.
caravan caravans NOUN
A caravan is a vehicle pulled by a car in which people live or spend their holidays.
carbon NOUN
Carbon is a chemical found in coal and diamonds. All living things contain carbon.
carbon footprint carbon footprints NOUN
Your carbon footprint is the amount of pollution released into the atmosphere by the things you do.
card cards
NOUN 1 Card is strong, stiff paper.
NOUN 2 A greetings card usually has a picture on the front and is sent to people on special days such as birthdays.
NOUN 3 Playing cards are small pieces of card with numbers or pictures on them. They are used for card games.
cardboard NOUN
Cardboard is thick, stiff paper.
cardigan cardigans NOUN
A cardigan is a knitted jacket. You fasten it at the front with buttons.
care cares, caring, cared
VERB 1 If you care about something or someone, you think they are important.
VERB 2 If you care for a person or animal, you look after them.
NOUN 3 If you do something with care, you take trouble over it.
career careers NOUN
Someone’s career is the work they do, which they hope to do for a long time. John wants a career in teaching.
careful ADJECTIVE
If someone is careful, they try to do things safely and well.
careless ADJECTIVE
If you are careless, you do not pay attention to what you are doing.
caretaker caretakers NOUN
A caretaker is a person who looks after a large building such as a school.
cargo cargoes NOUN
Cargo is the goods carried on a ship or plane.
carnival carnivals NOUN
A carnival is a sort of party in the streets.
There is usually music and dancing, and people dress up and decorate cars and trucks.
carpenter carpenters NOUN
A carpenter is a person who works with wood, usually for furniture.
carpet carpets NOUN
A carpet is a thick covering for a floor, often made of wool.
carriage carriages
NOUN 1 A carriage is one of the vehicles that make up a passenger train.
NOUN 2 A carriage is also a vehicle with wheels, pulled by horses.
carrot carrots NOUN
A carrot is a long thin orange vegetable that grows under the ground.
See Vegetables on page 260
carry carries, carrying, carried VERB
When you carry something, you pick it up and take it with you.
cart carts NOUN
A cart is a heavy wooden vehicle pulled by horses or cattle on farms.
carton cartons NOUN
A carton is a strong cardboard or plastic box for holding food or drink.
cartoon cartoons
NOUN 1 A cartoon is a film where the characters are drawn instead of being real people.
NOUN 2 A cartoon is also a funny drawing in a magazine, newspaper or book.
cartwheel cartwheels NOUN
A cartwheel is a movement. You put your hands on the floor and move your legs round in a circle until you land on your feet again.
carve carves, carving, carved
VERB 1 If you carve an object, you cut it out of something like stone or wood.
VERB 2 If someone carves a piece of meat, they cut slices from it.
case cases NOUN
A case is a box for keeping or carrying things in.
cash NOUN
Cash is coins and paper money.
cast casts, casting, cast
NOUN 1 The cast of a play or film is all the people who act in it.
NOUN 2 A cast is an object made by pouring liquid plaster or metal into a container and leaving it to harden.
VERB 3 If something casts a shadow onto a place, it makes a shadow fall there.
VERB 4 If someone like a witch casts a spell on someone or something, they do magic that affects that person or thing.
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