caption

American  

[kap-shuhn] / ˈkæp ʃən /

noun

1. a title or explanation for a picture or illustration, as in a magazine, newspaper, or book.

2. a heading or title, as of a chapter, article, or page.

3. Movies, Television, Digital Technology.

   1. a transcription or translation of dialogue and a written description of other audio elements, as sound effects, music, or atmospheric sounds, displayed as a graphic overlay on the lower part of the screen in a television program, film, video, or video game.

   2. subtitle.

   3. a title or annotation displayed as a graphic overlay on the screen in a television program, film, video, or video game, as to set the scene, name a location, or specify a time or date.

4. Law. the heading of a legal document stating the time, place, etc., of execution or performance.

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verb (used with object)

captions, present (3rd person singular) captioned, past participle, past captioning present participle

1. to supply a caption or captions for.

   to caption a photograph.

caption British  

/ ˈkæpʃən /

noun

1. a title, brief explanation, or comment accompanying an illustration; legend

2. a heading, title, or headline of a chapter, article, etc

3. graphic material, usually containing lettering, used in television presentation

4. another name for subtitle

5. the formal heading of a legal document stating when, where, and on what authority it was taken or made

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verb

1. to provide with a caption or captions

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• captionless
  adjective
• supercaption
  noun
• uncaptioned
  adjective
• miscaption
  verb (used with object)
• subcaption
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have captioned
  perfect
• has captioned
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have been captioning
  perfect progressive
• is captioning
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are captioning
  progressive
• has been captioning
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• captions
  singular 3rd person
• captioning
  participle
• am captioning
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had captioned
  perfect
• had been captioning
  perfect progressive
• was captioning
  progressive singular
• captioned
  participle
• were captioning
  progressive plural
• captioned
  simple

Future

• will caption
  simple
• will have captioned
  perfect
• will have been captioning
  perfect progressive
• will be captioning
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of caption

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English capcio(u)n “seizure,” from Latin captiōn- (stem of captiō ), equivalent to capt(us) “taken” ( see captive) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A caption is a brief description accompanying an illustration. You know the online photo of your baby cousin face-planting into a cake? The description underneath it that says "Hugh's First Birthday" — that's the caption. The Latin root of caption is capito, which means "seizing" or "holding." What do captions have to do with seizing? Nothing. Centuries ago, when authorities seized someone's property for legal reasons, they presented documents that began with the phrase "certificate of caption." Eventually people began using the word to refer to the beginning of any document. Then they began using it to mean any article or chapter heading. And from chapter headings it was a short hop to picture headings. A long journey for a word whose definition includes the description "brief"!

Example Sentences

Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, said: "This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America's birthday," in a caption to a video post on his Instagram account.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

A typo in a caption in our last issue incorrectly spelled his name as George de La Tour.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

But every year, when Mother’s Day rolls around, I know I can look forward to seeing someone post an actress to their Instagram story with a “Happy Mother’s Day” caption.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Yet their meanings can be altered simply by changing context or editing a caption.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

His father had sent him a clipping about the grant printed in the campus newspaper, with a photograph of his father standing outside the engineering building: “Prestigious grant for Professor Ganguli,” the caption read.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• inscription
• subtitle