Dictionary
capitalize
verb cap·i·tal·ize \ˈka-pə-tə-ˌlīz, ˈkap-tə-, British also kə-ˈpi-tə-\
: to use a capital letter to write, print, or type (a letter of the alphabet)
: to begin (a word or name) with a capital letter
: to provide the money that is needed to start or develop (a business)
cap·i·tal·izedcap·i·tal·iz·ing
Full Definition of CAPITALIZE
transitive verb
2
a : to convert into capital <capitalize the company's reserve fund> b : to treat as an amortizable investment in long-term capital assets rather than as an ordinary operating expense to be charged against revenue for the period in which it is incurred <capitalize development costs>
3
a : to compute the present value of (an income extended over a period of time) b : to convert (a periodic payment) into an equivalent capital sum <capitalized annuities>
4
: to supply capital for
intransitive verb
: to gain by turning something to advantage <capitalize on an opponent's mistake>
See capitalize defined for English-language learners
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First Known Use of CAPITALIZE
1764
Related to CAPITALIZE
Other Business Terms
Rhymes with CAPITALIZE
accessorize, acclimatize, actualize, aerobicize, aestheticize, Africanize, allegorize, alphabetize, analogize, anatomize, anesthetize, animalize, annualize, antagonize, anthologize, anticlockwise, apologize, apostatize, apostrophize, arabicize, aromatize, automatize, bureaucratize, cannibalize, categorize, catheterize, catholicize, characterize, collectivize, commercialize, commoditize, communalize, computerize, conservatize, containerize, contrariwise, conveyorize, cosmeticize, counterclockwise, criminalize, cross-fertilize, cut down to size, decentralize, decolonize, de-emphasize, de-energize, defeminize, deformalize, deglamorize, dehumanize, deionize, demagnetize, demobilize, democratize, demoralize, denationalize, deodorize, depersonalize, depolarize, depressurize, desensitize, destabilize, destigmatize, detribalize, devitalize, diabolize, digitalize, disenfranchise, disorganize, economize, emblematize, emotionalize, epitomize, epoxidize, eroticize, eternalize, evangelize, extemporize, externalize, familiarize, fanaticize, fictionalize, floor exercise, fool's paradise, formularize, free enterprise, gelatinize, generalize, geologize, Hispanicize, historicize, homogenize, hospitalize, hypothesize, idealize, illegalize, immobilize, immortalize, impersonalize, Indianize, indigenize, infantilize, initialize, internalize, italicize, legitimize, liberalize, literalize, lobotomize, lysogenize, macadamize, marginalize, metabolize, metastasize, militarize, mineralize, monopolize, mythologize, nationalize, naturalize, parenthesize, philosophize, poeticize, politicize, popularize, prioritize, proselytize, radicalize, reorganize, revitalize, ritualize, romanticize, secularize, self-fertilize, sensualize, sexualize, sovietize, subjectivize, suburbanize, subvocalize, systematize, temporalize, theologize, traditionalize, trivialize, ventriloquize, visualize
CAPITALIZE Defined for Kids
capitalize
verb cap·i·tal·ize \ˈka-pə-tə-ˌlīz\
cap·i·tal·izedcap·i·tal·iz·ing
Definition of CAPITALIZE for Kids
1
: to write with a beginning capital letter or in all capital letters
2
: to provide money needed to start or develop (a business)
3
: to gain by turning something to advantage <The winner capitalized on his opponent's mistakes.>
— cap·i·tal·i·za·tion \ˌka-pə-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən\ noun
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