capitalize

[/ˈkæpɪtəlaɪz/]
verb
capitalizar
1. To write or print a letter as a capital letter; to begin with a capital letter
You should capitalize the first letter of a sentence.
Você deve capitalizar a primeira letra de uma sentença.
2. To provide with capital (money or assets) for business purposes
The investors capitalized the startup with $2 million.
Os investidores capitalizaram a startup com 2 milhões de dólares.
3. To take advantage of an opportunity or situation for one's benefit
She capitalized on her success to launch a new product line.
Ela capitalizou sobre seu sucesso para lançar uma nova linha de produtos.
4. To convert into capital or to treat as capital (accounting)
The company decided to capitalize the software development costs.
A empresa decidiu capitalizar os custos de desenvolvimento de software.
In business and finance contexts, 'capitalizar' is universally understood in Portuguese-speaking countries. In American English, 'capitalize on' is an extremely common phrasal verb in business, sports, and everyday conversation meaning to gain advantage from a situation. Brazilians often use the more informal 'aproveitar' in casual speech rather than the formal 'capitalizar'.
NYC Slang
ball out, stack up, get the bag
Synonyms / Sinônimos
profit fromexploittake advantage offundfinance
Antonyms / Antônimos
minimizesquanderwastelose

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
capitalizar
Most common usage for all meanings
Brazil (informal)
aproveitar
Used colloquially for 'take advantage of' meaning
Portugal
capitalizar
Same as Brazilian Portuguese; also 'maiusculizar' for writing in capitals
Business/Finance
capitalizar
Standard term in both Brazil and Portugal for financial contexts

Related Words

capitalcapitalistcapitalismcapitalizationuppercase

Related Idioms & Phrases

capitalize on an opportunity
capitalize on someone's mistake
capitalize on market conditions
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