capture

American  

[kap-cher] / ˈkæp tʃər /

verb (used with object)

captured, capturing

1. to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize.

   The police captured the burglar.

   Synonyms:

   nab, grab, apprehend, snare, arrest, catch

   Antonyms:

   release

2. to gain control of or exert influence over.

   an ad that captured our attention;

   a TV show that captured 30% of the prime-time audience.

3. to take possession of, as in a game or contest.

   to capture a pawn in chess.

4. to represent or record in lasting form.

   The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.

5. Computers.

   1. to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.

   2. to record (data) in preparation for such entry.

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noun

1. the act of capturing.

   Synonyms:

   apprehension, arrest, seizure

   Antonyms:

   release

2. the thing or person captured.

3. Physics. the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.

4. Crystallography. substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.

capture British  

/ ˈkæptʃə /

verb

1. to take prisoner or gain control over

   to capture an enemy

   to capture a town

2. (in a game or contest) to win control or possession of

   to capture a pawn in chess

3. to succeed in representing or describing (something elusive)

   the artist captured her likeness

4. physics (of an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus) to acquire (an additional particle)

5. to insert or transfer (data) into a computer

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noun

1. the act of taking by force; seizure

2. the person or thing captured; booty

3. physics a process by which an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus acquires an additional particle

4. Also called: piracy.  geography the process by which the headwaters of one river are diverted into another through erosion caused by the second river's tributaries

5. the act or process of inserting or transferring data into a computer

Other Word Forms

• capturable adjective
• capturer noun
• precapture adjective
• uncapturable adjective
• uncaptured adjective

Etymology

Origin of capture

First recorded in 1535–45; from Middle French, from Latin captūra, equivalent to capt(us) “taken” (past participle of capere “to take”) + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

“If you are really trying to avoid capture, you go to places people don’t know about,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chevron shares were among the big gainers on Monday as investors gauged the impact of U.S. actions against Venezuela, including the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

From The Wall Street Journal

Just before Christmas, in what now seems like the distant past before the U.S. military captured Mr. Maduro, these questions about socialism were still largely abstract.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the cost of capturing Maduro has raised an old question, one last asked in the 1940s.

From Barron's

Several hours later, news broke of the U.S. operation to capture Maduro and the contracts shot up in value.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• apprehend
• arrest
• catch
• conquer
• grab
• occupy
• pick up
• round up
• secure
• seize
• snatch
• take
• trap