Beanie vs. Cap — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 21, 2024
A beanie is a soft, close-fitting knitted hat without a brim, ideal for warmth, while a cap is a headgear with a visor or brim, often used for shade or style.
Difference Between Beanie and Cap
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A beanie is typically made from knitted fabric and is designed to keep the head warm. It fits snugly around the head and is often worn in cold weather. Beanies come in various styles, such as the classic cuffed beanie, which can be folded at the edge for added warmth, and the slouchy beanie, which has a looser fit. A cap, on the other hand, is a broad category of headwear that includes styles with visors or brims, such as baseball caps, flat caps, and snapbacks. Caps are often worn for sun protection, sports, or fashion.
While beanies are predominantly associated with winter and colder climates, caps are versatile and can be worn in any season. Beanies focus on providing warmth and comfort, whereas caps often combine functionality with style. The practical aspect of caps, particularly baseball caps, includes adjustable straps or snapbacks for a customized fit.
Beanies tend to be more casual and are commonly seen in relaxed settings or as part of a streetwear look. Caps, especially more structured styles like flat caps or military caps, can also be part of more formal or stylish ensembles. The choice between a beanie and a cap often depends on the weather, the desired look, and the specific activity.
Comparison Chart
Structure
Soft, knitted, close-fitting
Has a visor or brim
Primary Use
Warmth
Sun protection, style
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Typical Materials
Knitted fabric, wool, acrylic
Cotton, polyester, wool
Seasonal Wear
Winter or cold weather
Any season
Fashion Style
Casual, streetwear
Versatile: casual to semi-formal
Compare with Definitions
Beanie
A soft, close-fitting knitted hat without a brim.
She pulled her beanie down over her ears to stay warm.
Cap
A type of headwear made from materials like cotton or polyester.
The flat cap complemented his vintage style.
Beanie
A winter hat designed to keep the head warm.
He wore a beanie while skiing to protect against the cold.
Cap
A versatile hat that can be part of both casual and semi-formal attire.
The military cap gave him a sharp, stylish look.
Beanie
Headwear often associated with casual or street fashion.
The beanie added a relaxed vibe to his outfit.
Cap
Headwear with an adjustable strap or snapback for a customized fit.
He tightened the snapback on his cap for a secure fit.
Beanie
A hat made of wool or acrylic fabric.
The knitted beanie was handmade by her grandmother.
Cap
A cap is a kind of soft and flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head.
Beanie
A snug-fitting hat that covers the head and sometimes the ears.
The beanie covered her ears, keeping them warm in the wind.
Cap
A kind of soft, flat hat without a brim and typically with a peak
A man wearing a raincoat and a flat cap
Her cap of dark hair
Beanie
A snug, knitted, brimless cap that usually covers the ears.
Cap
A protective lid or cover for an object such as a bottle, the point of a pen, or a camera lens
A glass bottle with a screw cap
A lens cap from a camera
Beanie
A small brimless cap.
Cap
An upper limit imposed on spending or borrowing
He raised the cap on local authority spending
Beanie
A cap that fits the head closely, usually knitted from wool.
Cap
A contraceptive diaphragm.
Beanie
A head-hugging brimless cap, with or without a visor, made from triangular sections of cloth, leather, or silk joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides.
Cap
The broad upper part of the fruiting body of most mushrooms and toadstools, at the top of a stem and bearing gills or pores.
Beanie
(informal) A Beanie Baby, a small soft toy filled with beans or similar stuffing.
Cap
Short for percussion cap
Beanie
A small skullcap; formerly worn by schoolboys and college freshmen.
Cap
Short for capitalization
Small-cap stocks
Mid-cap companies
Beanie
A small skullcap; formerly worn by schoolboys and college freshmen
Cap
Put a lid or cover on
He capped his pen
Cap
Provide a fitting climax or conclusion to
He capped a memorable season by becoming champion of champions
Cap
Place a limit or restriction on (prices, expenditure, or borrowing)
Council budgets will be capped
Cap
Be chosen as a member of a particular sports team, especially a national one
He was capped ten times by England
Cap
Confer a university degree on.
Cap
A usually soft and close-fitting head covering, either having no brim or with a visor.
Cap
A special head covering worn to indicate rank, occupation, or membership in a particular group
A cardinal's cap.
A sailor's cap.
Cap
An academic mortarboard. Used especially in the phrase cap and gown.
Cap
A protective cover or seal, especially one that closes off an end or a tip
A bottle cap.
A 35-millimeter lens cap.
Cap
A crown for covering or sealing a tooth.
Cap
A truck cap.
Cap
A tread for a worn pneumatic tire.
Cap
A fitted covering used to seal a well or large pipe.
Cap
Chiefly Southern US See eye.
Cap
A summit or top, as of a mountain.
Cap
An upper limit; a ceiling
Placed a cap on mortgage rates.
Cap
(Architecture) The capital of a column.
Cap
The top part, or pileus, of a mushroom.
Cap
A calyptra.
Cap
A percussion cap.
Cap
A small explosive charge enclosed in paper for use in a toy gun.
Cap
Any of several sizes of writing paper, such as foolscap.
Cap
(Sports) An appearance by a player in an international soccer game, traditionally rewarded with a hat.
Cap
A capital letter.
Cap
Capital
Venture cap.
Cap
Capitalization
Market cap.
Cap
To cover, protect, or seal with a cap.
Cap
To award a special cap to as a sign of rank or achievement
Capped the new women nurses at graduation.
Cap
To lie over or on top of; cover
Hills capped with snow.
Cap
To apply the finishing touch to; complete
Cap a meal with dessert.
Cap
To follow with something better; surpass or outdo
Capped his last trick with a disappearing act that brought the audience to its feet.
Cap
To set an upper limit on
Decided to cap cost-of-living increases.
Cap
To capitalize.
Cap
A close-fitting hat, either brimless or peaked.
The children were all wearing caps to protect them from the sun.
Cap
A special hat to indicate rank, occupation, etc.
Cap
An academic mortarboard.
Cap
A protective cover or seal.
He took the cap off the bottle and splashed himself with some cologne.
Cap
A crown for covering a tooth.
He had golden caps on his teeth.
Cap
The summit of a mountain, etc.
There was snow on the cap of the mountain.
Cap
An artificial upper limit or ceiling.
We should put a cap on the salaries, to keep them under control.
Cap
The top part of a mushroom.
Cap
(toy) A small amount of percussive explosive in a paper strip or plastic cup for use in a toy gun.
Billy spent all morning firing caps with his friends, re-enacting storming the beach at Normandy.
Cap
A small explosive device used to detonate a larger charge of explosives.
He wired the cap to the bundle of dynamite, then detonated it remotely.
Cap
(slang) A bullet used to shoot someone.
Cap
A lie or exaggeration.
No cap
Cap
(sport) A place on a national team; an international appearance.
Cap
(obsolete) The top, or uppermost part; the chief.
Cap
(obsolete) A respectful uncovering of the head.
Cap
(zoology) The whole top of the head of a bird from the base of the bill to the nape of the neck.
Cap
(architecture) The uppermost of any assemblage of parts.
The cap of column, door, etc.; a capital, coping, cornice, lintel, or plate
Cap
Something covering the top or end of a thing for protection or ornament.
Cap
(nautical) A collar of iron or wood used in joining spars, as the mast and the topmast, the bowsprit and the jib boom; also, a covering of tarred canvas at the end of a rope.
Cap
(geometry) A portion of a spherical or other convex surface.
Cap
A large size of writing paper.
Flat cap; foolscap; legal cap
Cap
(finance) Capitalization.
Cap
(informal) An uppercase or capital letter.
Cap
(electronics) A capacitor.
Parasitic caps.
I had to replace the caps in that thing to get it to work again.
Cap
(colloquial) A recording or screenshot.
Anyone have a cap of the games last night?
Cap
(slang) A capsule of a drug.
Cap
(colloquial) A capitalist.
Cap
Capillary
Cap
(obsolete) A wooden drinking-bowl with two handles.
Cap
(transitive) To cover or seal with a cap.
Cap
(transitive) To award a cap as a mark of distinction.
Cap
(transitive) To lie over or on top of something.
Cap
(transitive) To surpass or outdo.
Cap
(transitive) To set an upper limit on something.
Cap wages.
Cap
(transitive) To make something even more wonderful at the end.
That really capped my day.
Cap
To select a player to play for a specified side.
Cap
To shoot (someone) with a firearm.
If he don't get outta my hood, I'm gonna cap his ass.
In a school shooting, where some kid caps a bunch of other kids, where did he get the weapon? From a family member, probably their gun cabinet.
Cap
To lie; to tell a lie.
Cap
To select to play for the national team.
Peter Shilton is the most capped English footballer.
Cap
To salute by uncovering the head respectfully.
Cap
To deprive of a cap.
Cap
To convert text to uppercase.
Cap
(transitive) To take a screenshot or to record a copy of a video.
Cap
A covering for the head
Cap
The top, or uppermost part; the chief.
Thou art the cap of all the fools alive.
Cap
A respectful uncovering of the head.
He that will give a cap and make a leg in thanks.
Cap
The whole top of the head of a bird from the base of the bill to the nape of the neck.
Cap
Anything resembling a cap in form, position, or use
Cap
A large size of writing paper; as, flat cap; foolscap; legal cap.
Cap
To cover with a cap, or as with a cap; to provide with a cap or cover; to cover the top or end of; to place a cap upon the proper part of; as, to cap a post; to cap a gun.
The bones next the joint are capped with a smooth cartilaginous substance.
Cap
To deprive of cap.
Cap
To complete; to crown; to bring to the highest point or consummation; as, to cap the climax of absurdity.
Cap
To salute by removing the cap.
Tom . . . capped the proctor with the profoundest of bows.
Cap
To match; to mate in contest; to furnish a complement to; as, to cap text; to cap proverbs.
Now I have him under girdle I'll cap verses with him to the end of the chapter.
Cap
To uncover the head respectfully.
Cap
A tight-fitting headdress
Cap
A top (as for a bottle)
Cap
A mechanical or electrical explosive device or a small amount of explosive; can be used to initiate the reaction of a disrupting explosive
Cap
Something serving as a cover or protection
Cap
A fruiting structure resembling an umbrella that forms the top of a stalked fleshy fungus such as a mushroom
Cap
An upper limit on what is allowed;
They established a cap for prices
Cap
Dental appliance consisting of an artificial crown for a tooth
Cap
The upper part of a column that supports the entablature
Cap
Lie at the top of;
Snow capped the mountains
Cap
Restrict the number or amount of;
We had to cap the number of people we can accept into our club
Cap
Headgear with a visor or brim for shade.
He adjusted his cap to shield his eyes from the sun.
Cap
A hat often used for sports or casual wear.
She wore a baseball cap to the game.
Common Curiosities
Are beanies only worn in winter?
Beanies are primarily worn in winter or cold weather for warmth.
Can caps be worn in any season?
Yes, caps are versatile and can be worn in any season.
What is a cap?
A cap is a headgear with a visor or brim, used for sun protection or style.
What materials are beanies made from?
Beanies are usually made from knitted fabrics like wool or acrylic.
Can caps be formal?
Some caps, like flat caps, can be part of semi-formal attire.
What are the main functions of a cap?
Caps provide sun protection, shade, and style.
What is a baseball cap?
A baseball cap is a type of cap with a rounded crown and a stiff visor, often with an adjustable back.
What materials are caps made from?
Caps can be made from cotton, polyester, wool, or other fabrics.
What is a beanie?
A beanie is a soft, close-fitting knitted hat without a brim, typically worn for warmth.
Are beanies considered casual?
Yes, beanies are generally associated with casual or street fashion.
What is a slouchy beanie?
A slouchy beanie is a loose-fitting style of beanie that hangs down at the back.
Can you wear a cap for sports?
Yes, caps like baseball caps are commonly worn for sports.
Are beanies good for sun protection?
Beanies are not typically used for sun protection; they are better for warmth.
How do you adjust the fit of a cap?
Many caps have adjustable straps, snapbacks, or Velcro to customize the fit.
Do beanies have visors or brims?
No, beanies do not have visors or brims.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
