capital
♦♦♦ capi|tal /k'æpɪtəl/ (capitals)
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Capital is a large sum of money which you use to start a business, or which you invest in order to make more money. (BUSINESS)
Companies are having difficulty in raising capital...
A large amount of capital is invested in all these branches.
2 [N-UNCOUNT] usu N n
You can use capital to refer to buildings or machinery which are necessary to produce goods or to make companies more efficient, but which do not make money directly. (BUSINESS)
...capital equipment that could have served to increase production.
...capital investment.
3 [N-UNCOUNT]
Capital is the part of an amount of money borrowed or invested which does not include interest. (BUSINESS)
With a conventional repayment mortgage, the repayments consist of both capital and interest.
4 [N-COUNT] usu the N in sing, oft N of n
The capital of a country is the city or town where its government or parliament meets.
...Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
5 [N-COUNT] usu the N in sing, with supp
If a place is the capital of a particular industry or activity, it is the place that is most famous for it, because it happens in that place more than anywhere else.
Colmar has long been considered the capital of the wine trade.
...New York, the fashion capital of the world.
6 [N-COUNT]
Capitals or capital letters are written or printed letters in the form which is used at the beginning of sentences or names. `T', `B', and `F' are capitals.
The name and address are written in capitals.
7 [ADJ] ADJ n
A capital offence is one that is so serious that the person who commits it can be punished by death.
Espionage is a capital offence in this country.
...Americans wrongly convicted of capital crimes.
8
see also working capital
9 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you say that someone is making capital out of a situation, you disapprove of the way they are gaining an advantage for themselves through other people's efforts or bad luck. (FORMAL)
He rebuked the President for trying to make political capital out of the hostage situation.capi|tal ac|count (capital accounts)
1 [N-COUNT]
A country's capital account is the part of its balance of payments that is concerned with the movement of capital.
2 [N-COUNT]
A capital account is a financial statement showing the capital value of a company on a particular date. (BUSINESS)capi|tal gains
[N-PLURAL]
Capital gains are the profits that you make when you buy something and then sell it again at a higher price. (BUSINESS)
He called for the reform of capital gains tax.capi|tal goods
[N-PLURAL]
Capital goods are used to make other products. Compare consumer goods. (BUSINESS)capi|tal in|flow (capital inflows)
[N-VAR]
In economics, capital inflow is the amount of capital coming into a country, for example in the form of foreign investment. (BUSINESS)
...a large drop in the capital inflow into America.capi|tal let|ter (capital letters)
[N-COUNT]
Capital letters are the same as capitals.capi|tal pun|ish|ment
[N-UNCOUNT]
Capital punishment is punishment which involves the legal killing of a person who has committed a serious crime such as murder.
Most democracies have abolished capital punishment.emo|tion|al capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
When people refer to the emotional capital of a company, they mean all the psychological assets and resources of the company, such as how the employees feel about the company. (BUSINESS)
UK organisations are not nourishing their intellectual and emotional capital.flight of capi|tal
[N-SING]
When people lose confidence in a particular economy or market and withdraw their investment from it, you can refer to a flight of capital from that economy or market. (BUSINESS)
TI has seen its shares suffer because of a flight of capital to telecom and Internet-related businesses...seed capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
Seed capital is an amount of money that a new company needs to pay for the costs of producing a business plan so that they can raise further capital to develop the company. (BUSINESS)
I am negotiating with financiers to raise seed capital for my latest venture.share capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
A company's share capital is the money that shareholders invest in order to start or expand the business. (BUSINESS)
The bank has a share capital of almost 100 million dollars.ven|ture capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
Venture capital is capital that is invested in projects that have a high risk of failure, but that will bring large profits if they are successful. (BUSINESS)work|ing capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
Working capital is money which is available for use immediately, rather than money which is invested in land or equipment. (BUSINESS)
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Capital is a large sum of money which you use to start a business, or which you invest in order to make more money. (BUSINESS)
Companies are having difficulty in raising capital...
A large amount of capital is invested in all these branches.
2 [N-UNCOUNT] usu N n
You can use capital to refer to buildings or machinery which are necessary to produce goods or to make companies more efficient, but which do not make money directly. (BUSINESS)
...capital equipment that could have served to increase production.
...capital investment.
3 [N-UNCOUNT]
Capital is the part of an amount of money borrowed or invested which does not include interest. (BUSINESS)
With a conventional repayment mortgage, the repayments consist of both capital and interest.
4 [N-COUNT] usu the N in sing, oft N of n
The capital of a country is the city or town where its government or parliament meets.
...Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
5 [N-COUNT] usu the N in sing, with supp
If a place is the capital of a particular industry or activity, it is the place that is most famous for it, because it happens in that place more than anywhere else.
Colmar has long been considered the capital of the wine trade.
...New York, the fashion capital of the world.
6 [N-COUNT]
Capitals or capital letters are written or printed letters in the form which is used at the beginning of sentences or names. `T', `B', and `F' are capitals.
The name and address are written in capitals.
7 [ADJ] ADJ n
A capital offence is one that is so serious that the person who commits it can be punished by death.
Espionage is a capital offence in this country.
...Americans wrongly convicted of capital crimes.
8
see also working capital
9 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you say that someone is making capital out of a situation, you disapprove of the way they are gaining an advantage for themselves through other people's efforts or bad luck. (FORMAL)
He rebuked the President for trying to make political capital out of the hostage situation.capi|tal ac|count (capital accounts)
1 [N-COUNT]
A country's capital account is the part of its balance of payments that is concerned with the movement of capital.
2 [N-COUNT]
A capital account is a financial statement showing the capital value of a company on a particular date. (BUSINESS)capi|tal gains
[N-PLURAL]
Capital gains are the profits that you make when you buy something and then sell it again at a higher price. (BUSINESS)
He called for the reform of capital gains tax.capi|tal goods
[N-PLURAL]
Capital goods are used to make other products. Compare consumer goods. (BUSINESS)capi|tal in|flow (capital inflows)
[N-VAR]
In economics, capital inflow is the amount of capital coming into a country, for example in the form of foreign investment. (BUSINESS)
...a large drop in the capital inflow into America.capi|tal let|ter (capital letters)
[N-COUNT]
Capital letters are the same as capitals.capi|tal pun|ish|ment
[N-UNCOUNT]
Capital punishment is punishment which involves the legal killing of a person who has committed a serious crime such as murder.
Most democracies have abolished capital punishment.emo|tion|al capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
When people refer to the emotional capital of a company, they mean all the psychological assets and resources of the company, such as how the employees feel about the company. (BUSINESS)
UK organisations are not nourishing their intellectual and emotional capital.flight of capi|tal
[N-SING]
When people lose confidence in a particular economy or market and withdraw their investment from it, you can refer to a flight of capital from that economy or market. (BUSINESS)
TI has seen its shares suffer because of a flight of capital to telecom and Internet-related businesses...seed capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
Seed capital is an amount of money that a new company needs to pay for the costs of producing a business plan so that they can raise further capital to develop the company. (BUSINESS)
I am negotiating with financiers to raise seed capital for my latest venture.share capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
A company's share capital is the money that shareholders invest in order to start or expand the business. (BUSINESS)
The bank has a share capital of almost 100 million dollars.ven|ture capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
Venture capital is capital that is invested in projects that have a high risk of failure, but that will bring large profits if they are successful. (BUSINESS)work|ing capi|tal
[N-UNCOUNT]
Working capital is money which is available for use immediately, rather than money which is invested in land or equipment. (BUSINESS)