capture
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize.
The police captured the burglar.
- Antonyms:
- release
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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.
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to take possession of, as in a game or contest.
to capture a pawn in chess.
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to represent or record in lasting form.
The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.
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Computers.
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to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.
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to record (data) in preparation for such entry.
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noun
-
the act of capturing.
- Synonyms:
- apprehension , arrest , seizure
- Antonyms:
- release
-
the thing or person captured.
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Physics. the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.
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Crystallography. substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.
verb
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to take prisoner or gain control over
to capture an enemy
to capture a town
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(in a game or contest) to win control or possession of
to capture a pawn in chess
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to succeed in representing or describing (something elusive)
the artist captured her likeness
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physics (of an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus) to acquire (an additional particle)
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to insert or transfer (data) into a computer
noun
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the act of taking by force; seizure
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the person or thing captured; booty
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physics a process by which an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus acquires an additional particle
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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
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Monkey’s capture comes about by his being believably beguiled by the sound of the lute-like pipa.
From Los Angeles Times
It captured the very essence of the book because I was looking for the magic of the FA Cup and I found it right there.
From BBC
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that they have successfully used a "zap-and-freeze" method to capture rapid communication between brain cells in living tissue from both mice and humans.
From Science Daily
When stars began traveling by air, they made those travel plans known so photographers could capture them disembarking on the runway, the airline name clearly visible.
From Los Angeles Times
The Times analysis captured assaults against all types of federal officers.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
