capture
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize.
The police captured the burglar.
- Antonyms:
- release
-
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.
-
to take possession of, as in a game or contest.
to capture a pawn in chess.
-
to represent or record in lasting form.
The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.
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Computers.
-
to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.
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to record (data) in preparation for such entry.
-
noun
-
the act of capturing.
- Synonyms:
- apprehension, arrest, seizure
- Antonyms:
- release
-
the thing or person captured.
-
Physics. the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.
-
Crystallography. substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.
verb
-
to take prisoner or gain control over
to capture an enemy
to capture a town
-
(in a game or contest) to win control or possession of
to capture a pawn in chess
-
to succeed in representing or describing (something elusive)
the artist captured her likeness
-
physics (of an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus) to acquire (an additional particle)
-
to insert or transfer (data) into a computer
noun
-
the act of taking by force; seizure
-
the person or thing captured; booty
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
capturesimple
-
capturessimple
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have capturedperfect
-
has capturedperfect
-
am capturingprogressive
-
are capturingprogressive
-
is capturingprogressive
-
have been capturingperfect progressive
-
has been capturingperfect progressive
Past
-
capturedsimple
-
had capturedperfect
-
was capturingprogressive
-
were capturingprogressive
-
had been capturingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
The verb to capture means to grab, trap, or take something that doesn't want to be grabbed, trapped, or taken. Hunters, pirates, and kidnappers all capture the things they want. If you want that tiger, you're going to have to capture him, either by setting a trap or shooting him. Either way, his capture won't be easy. You can also capture a photograph of something — which, while it doesn't mean taking it against its will, is still a kind of taking in which the thing itself is not participating. The pirate captured his hostages, while his hostages captured the scene on their cell-phone video cameras.
Vocabulary lists containing capture
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Words Every Pirate Should Know
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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.
See Examples For:
This inner gap likely helped capture and preserve Io, Europa, and Ganymede as they moved through the disk.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Freundlich’s ambition notwithstanding, the telescope never did capture the accurate measurements it needed; other scientists would do that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He spotted the field several lengths but rallied to capture the 1 1/16-mile race for his first victory in five starts since winning the Haskell Stakes last July at Monmouth Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
For example, an options trader might think it’s a good idea to buy October expirations now to capture this rise in volatility.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
As time went on, though, and the Academy started sending Glitchers in to capture them, the Butterflies got smarter and a lot sneakier.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
To me, it captures how people protect one another when the law and its appointed enforcers cannot be trusted.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
At least one image captures a tattoo of the name “David” in red ink on Hernandez’s finger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
An exhibition at the National Gallery of Art captures the massive industry and the difficult tradeoffs essential to U.S. energy development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
A number of the papers went to print before the result of the World Cup final was known, but the i Paper captures Spain's 1-0 extra-time win with the headline "Viva España!"
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The roar of a big engine captures everyone’s attention.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Writer Joan Didion captured L.A. in thought and on paper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
This scene captured a common neighborhood response during Operation Metro Surge.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Gregory noted the experiment had captured the impact of nitrogen and sulphur, which once fell on land across the UK, had effectively fertilised it from the air.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The wide, elevated rift flanks predicted by the new simulations also appear in images captured by the Magellan probe during its 1990's mission.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Then, near Anya Vysotskaya and Galya Dokutovich’s plane now captured by the bright searchlights, Larisa and Nadya saw flashes coming from the sky.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Christopher Nolan's star-studded adaptation of "The Odyssey" has quickly become his latest box office success, capturing audiences and generating conversation around the world.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Was he so concerned with capturing his son’s malaise as Adrian became an adult that he missed details he might’ve seen if one eye weren’t looking through the viewfinder?
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Alphabet is capturing that growth, moreover, without breaking the bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Annelotte Baas-Jehan, Invasive Non-Native Species Policy & Coordination Officer, said volunteers had been key to capturing hornets.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The reporters leap forward into the crowd that surrounds Soheil, their phone cameras capturing the chaos.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
