capital.

The principal city or town serving as the seat of government for a country or region.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• national capital
• provincial capital
• regional capital

On the page

The capital hosted the government, while the larger port controlled trade.

Petitions from the border towns reached the capital months after they were written.

A new regional capital drew civil servants away from the old administrative center.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting. Political-geographical noun sense, not money or uppercase lettering. The capital is not necessarily the largest city; cultural or industry capital is a figurative extension. Plural: capitals. No other inflection applies to this noun.